Fate's Game
by KJ Dreams
Summary: Originally called "Desire." Now called "Fate's Game." Ever since he laid eyes on her he wanted her. Sting Eucliffe hadn't known what it meant so he pursued her. After a steamy (literally) first meeting, he's on Lucy's mind too. And guess what? The Great Sting Eucliffe asks a girl out for the first time, ever. It's only bound to go wrong because fate likes to play games.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note &amp; Disclaimer**

_**I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters. **_

**It's Kass! This originally was supposed to be a quick one-shot of Stinglu/Stincy but it's gotten so long on my word file that I'll need to break it into chapters...I haven't written in months! I've been suffering from writer's block but then Stinglu happened and I just had this urge to write a fanfic. Anyway, I'm glad I'm writing again (Have to update my Arcana Famiglia one! Don't kill me!) Might be a little OC! Rated M for later events! (Although I apologize if my lemon is awkward_) No set update dates. I might not update till I'm completely finished. I won't say anything because then I'll get your hopes up and take longer;_;. Kay, Enjoy!**

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Lucy sighed in content, massaging her tired muscles in the public hot springs. The moon hung low in the sky, dark clouds trying to hide it from view. It was beautiful.

Team Natsu had just finished up a tough job and she had decided to treat herself to a nice relaxing bath, BY HERSELF. Erza had tried to come along but she had refused so profusely that the rest of the members understood Lucy wouldn't let them come either and if they came, Lucy would probably kill them. Okay, maybe not kill them since Lucy wasn't Erza but they didn't want to anger Lucy either. Lucy giggled, she loved her team but she just needed some down time. The job had taken a toll on her body, leaving her back aching from the constant weight from her bust.

Lucy wasn't really alone though; she had her celestial spirits to accompany her. She knew that Loke would love to join her but she had specifically instructed them to not come. Lucy settled her head on a bundle of towels that she had laid on the concrete beside the water; she slowly closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander. She was just beginning to write the next chapter of her book in her head when she heard soft noises coming from the dark end of the hot spring.

She tilted her head to the side; she thought she had been alone…

She made her way towards the giant rock that casted the shadow of the dark side of the bath. She tried to be as stealthy as she could; Aquarius would yell at her for being as graceful as a cat in water except the cat would still be able to be swim better and quieter. She stifled a laugh. _Idiot, be quiet._ Aquarius would tell her. As she got closer she began to distinguish the sound as numerous noises that caused her to blush. She didn't want to intrude but something forced her to look behind the rock. She covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. His blond hair was hanging low, falling beneath his shoulders, while his upper-half of his body gleamed from the water droplets hanging onto it. Her eyes appraised the fine lines of muscle on his body and his sharp jawline. He didn't notice her; he was too busy kissing the red haired woman in front of him. Lucy was slowly making her way back, her eyes never leaving his lips, when he suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight at her. Her eyes opened wide with embarrassment and she quickly made her way back to her towels, stealth forgotten. He had seen her. He had seen her staring at him. He had seen her. Her heart was racing rapidly; she didn't know if it had been because of the adrenaline coursing through her or if it was because…of him…

She swore she had seen him smirk at her. She was sure that he had bitten the woman's lips as a message to her. She didn't know…she didn't understand what it meant. He could have been teasing her…Yet…somehow…Lucy hoped a little that it meant he wanted her kiss too…or maybe she just wanted his kiss…Lucy was startled by seeing such a wild kiss…that was probably why she felt the need to experience it too…? Her thoughts were jumbled and

She changed into her outfit quickly, trying to put as much distance as she could from that scene…and him. Her tight black jeans hugged her voluptuous hips. Her gray sweater, usually worn to bed during the winter, covered her behind. It hid her shape which was unusual since Lucy had always worn tight clothes but she hadn't put much thought in her outfit when she suddenly had the urge to go to the bathing house at midnight. She had slipped on the jeans and some brown boots and dashed out of the hotel after arguing with Natsu and the others. She was glad they had listen to her and had not come since she wouldn't have to tell them what she saw or what she had thought of afterwards…

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**{STING'S POV}**

He knew she would be there. He had chosen that place on purpose. He had wanted her to see him. When he had first laid eyes on her on the Grand Magic Games he knew that he wanted her. No, not just as a one night stand but as a lover. He wanted to have her in his arms. He had felt a fire burning through his body, coursing through his veins. She was the one…? He wanted her to be…He wanted her to be…what exactly did he want her to be? He wasn't sure yet but he hadn't done anything to indicate his interest in her during the games or afterwards. She hadn't left his thoughts. She had always been in the corner of his mind. Always haunting him in his dreams and leaving an ache in his body in the morning. He had felt repulsed by the thoughts at first because he felt like an obsessed creep but when he had seen her by chance during a mission he knew…he knew he had to do something about it. It tortured him. He hadn't properly had sex with a woman in months because of her. It would leave him with feelings of guilt and betrayal for unknown reasons. It wasn't like he was her boyfriend or anything yet he couldn't bring himself to have sex with someone else.

He had immediately broken the kiss with the woman when he heard her leave the bathing house. She complained but he ignored her, his thoughts on a certain blonde woman. He left the bathing house, her smell lingering in the air. He could go after her…but he knew he had to wait. He wanted her to think about what she saw, about him for a day or two before he appeared before her. That was the entire purpose of this, to make her think about him not Natsu-san.

Rouge had simply shrugged and said that he was stupid. Sting had argued that she wasn't Natsu-san's mate yet so she was still free game. Rouge had told him to do whatever he wanted but to keep in mind that even though that was true it didn't mean that Natsu-san wasn't planning on making her his mate. Sting had left, not discouraged, but determined to make her his…but by his did he mean making her into his mate…? What did he want her to be? His lover…but just his lover…? The thoughts confused him so he left them alone.

۵

Sting had miscalculated. He hadn't known she would be leaving the town the next day. He sped up the job with Rouge and made his way back to Sabertooth. He had wanted to go straight to Lucy but he was the guild's master now. It had taken months for him to actually be able to go out on a mission just to de-stress. He had to report back in and take care of things only the master had to worry about. He told himself he would visit Lucy when he was done with his duties but then two weeks passed and he realized he wouldn't be able to go anytime soon…

"I'll take care of things while you're gone."

Sting looked up from the papers he was filling out, startled by Rouge's sudden suggestion. He opened his mouth to protest but his heart began to pick up speed at the thought of being able to go see Lucy. Rouge rolled his eyes, "We need a guild master whose thoughts and heart are at ease."

Sting flew at Rouge, hugging him tightly, crying in delight, "Thank you!"

Rouge looked at Sting's back as he ran out of the guild. That was the Sting he knew—the childish, always pursuing what he wants, laughing, smiling, energetic, and womanizer Sting. He frowned. He still wasn't sure Sting knew for certain what he felt for Lucy. Sting had always been a womanizer. He knew a woman's body as well as his own but he never was really satisfied. He was trying to fill in a hole too large to be filled by just any woman. Rouge knew this because he had _had_ the same need too. The need to find someone, to find his mate. He hadn't acted upon his primal desires as often as Sting had because he had more self-control but when he found her…his prided self-control began to deteriorate. Even now he was having a hard time keeping himself in check. He didn't know if she felt the same way and so he hadn't advanced on her. He didn't even realize what it meant when she began to cloud his thoughts, when her scent had begun to send his heart into overdrive. He didn't know until Frosch told him one day that he was in love. Frosch had begun crying. Frosch was delighted that Rouge finally found someone but Frosch didn't understand the complexity of human love. Rouge was unsure of what to do next. He hadn't told Sting yet because he wanted to deal with it on his own…but it seemed to him that Sting was experiencing the same thing he had felt…he just hadn't realized it yet…Rouge could tell him but this was something Sting would have to discover on his own.

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**{{Lucy's POV}}**

It had been around two weeks since Lucy had seen Sting in the bathing house. As much as she wanted the memory to go away, the look in his eyes haunted her. She thought about wanting to be wrapped up in his arms. She thought of wanting to kiss him. She wondered about how it would feel to be his only one. She wondered about too many things that she shouldn't have. She felt guilty that she was thinking about him. Lucy had Natsu. She liked Natsu…She had a crush on him…but she couldn't stop thinking about Sting. Lucy kept hoping it would go away, that it was just a passing feeling…a brief moment of lust…

Lucy looked outside her opened window; a small breeze causing her to shiver. She was dressed lightly. Her short, tight faded yellow blouse exposed her breasts and belly button while her pink shorts barely covered her bottom. It was a good thing it was late at night and the possibility of a stranger seeing her was slim. Natsu and Happy had fallen asleep in her apartment again and she had barely managed to send them home over an hour ago. She smiled, her mind wandering. She didn't notice when he entered her room. It wasn't until she closed her window, and stretched her arms that she noticed him standing behind her, hidden in the shadows.

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**{{Sting's POV}}**

Sting quickly covered her mouth with his hand, gesturing to her to not be so loud. He removed his hand and backed away slowly to show her he wasn't an enemy.

"What are you doing here?! How did you know I lived here?! How did you get in here?! Why are you here?!" She whispered, her voice trembling with nervousness and anger

"Because you're here. Your scent. The door. To see you." He answered, too wound up to actually respond in full sentences

His blood was boiling; his hands were itching to touch her. He could feel the tension in the room increasing by the second. He wished he could touch her again…He wanted to touch her.

"Lector, do you mind leaving us alone for a while?" He whispered

"Already ahead of you." Lector said, heading towards the door

Lucy's eyes followed Lector out the door, her hands grabbing at her shorts. He approached her slowly, whispering, "I'll stop if you tell me to." Her eyes widened, but she nodded. He bit his lips; it was a nervous habit of his.

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**[A/N: ;_; what might considered too detailed? I think I'll be okay...but if I'm not then I might move this fanfic to adultfanfiction]**


	2. Chapter 2

**::Author's Note::**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Fairy Tail or its characters(-: If I did, I would make Sting and Lucy happen...I would make so many things happen to be honest. It's a little OC.**

Woo. It's been about a month~~ A rough and confusing three weeks kind of held me at a standstill. I apologize, I still have not finished the story. I'm not sure where I am going with it right now, but I have an idea. Again, I don't know when I'll update again. /: I updated today to reassure you guys that I am continuing with the story. _I apologize profusely for my awkward lemon! I still am not very good at it. I'll get better at it so next time (HINT HINT) it won't be as awkward. D: _While you guys read this, I'll be working on it some more~~ Thanks for the reviews! I read them &amp; thanks for reading! -Kass

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**{{I don't even know whose POV}}**

She wasn't sure why she hadn't told him to get out. She wasn't sure why she was allowing him to approach her. She was going to kick him out, scream, but his hesitant demeanor had stopped her. He was nervous, like she was. Her heart was racing and she was sure that if she placed her head on his chest she would hear his heart beating rapidly as well. They were doing things wrong. She always thought her first time would be with her longtime boyfriend…not…some stranger…but as he got closer she knew it didn't matter to her anymore…love…lust…which one…just one night…

He pushed her against the wall, "I won't be gentle."

Lucy didn't reply, instead she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. She hesitated before bringing her lips to his, feeling his breath on hers. The tension was so strained it felt like it was suffocating them. Finally, Sting snapped and crashed his lips onto hers; she responded immediately, her lips struggling to keep up with his. He bit her bottom lip, startling her. The prick of pain opened her mouth, giving him access. His tongue danced with hers, setting her mouth on fire. His hands dropped to her thighs, inching higher until he firmly grasped them and hoisted her upwards. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands through his hair. Everywhere he touched would burn; it made her want to cry out but his kiss muffled her moans. His hands dropped from her thighs and began to explore upward. His hands had begun to crawl underneath her shirt…

Levi's voice rang out, "Lucy! Are you home? I've been knocking for a couple minutes now! Lucy!"

They froze, their brief passionate moment shattered. Groaning softly, Sting settled her on the ground, fixing her shirt. He kissed her one more time before he melted into the shadows of her bathroom. His lingering touch sent shivers down her spine. She waited a minute to allow her pulse to settle and to fix her wild hair.

"Sorry Levi! I was in the bathroom!" She yelled, running to open the door

Levi burst right in; she was bubbling with energy. Lucy had barely shut the door when Levi pounced on her, crying out in joy, "Gajeel asked me out on a date!"

Lucy raised her eyebrows, surprised, "When?!"

"RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, NOT RIGHT NOW, BUT EXACTLY TWENTY MINUTES AGO. WE WERE WALKING AROUND TOWN AFTER HE ACCOMPANIED ME TO MY FAVORITE BOOK STORE WHICH WAS ODD TO BEGIN WITH BUT THEN JUST AS WE WERE SAYING GOOD-BYE HE LOOKED STRAIGHT INTO MY EYES AND SLIGHTLY BLUSHING HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO GO TO THE FESTIVAL WITH HIM." Levi gasped, not having taken a single breath

Lucy couldn't help but scream with Levi. She had known about Levi's feelings, and they had often confided in each other about their crushes but she had been preoccupied with missions she hadn't had the chance to talk to Levi in quite some time. She forced Levi to sit down and tell her all the details. They laughed, cried, and hugged together. When they had both exhausted themselves, they sat in comfortable silence.

"Hey, Lucy."

"Mmn." Lucy said absentmindedly, playing with a strand of her golden hair

"How's it going with Natsu?"

Lucy froze, the strand of hair falling from her hand. She felt a familiar ache in her heart, but she also thought of Sting. She thought of how much she liked Natsu but Sting's face kept appearing in her thoughts. Her heart began to beat but she didn't know if it was because of Natsu or Sting.

"Lucy, what's up?" Levi had crawled over to look up into Lucy's face

Lucy sighed, as much as she hated to admit it, "I don't know, Levi."

Levi scrunched up her face, trying to decipher her meaning.

"Don't' worry about it. Look, you should head home, have a relaxing bath and go to sleep. It's quite late and we're going shopping in the morning for your kimono. I can't believe you don't own one!" Lucy smiled as she rambled on about their plans but her heart was confused

Levi didn't look convinced but she agreed that it was late.

"Loke will go with you. It's too late for you to go by yourself." Lucy offered as she said good-bye

Levi laughed, "Now it's your turn to not worry. I have a dragon-slayer boyfriend waiting for me outside, don't worry." She hugged Lucy, wrapping her slim arms around her waist

Lucy blushed, as she closed the door. Levy had said it in such a small whisper that she almost missed it but she was sure that she said, "You should really put some ice or something on your cut...your lip is swollen."

Lucy collapsed by the door, wanting to crawl into the nearest hole. When had Sting bitten her lip?

Sting waited a couple of minutes before coming out of the bathroom.

"I smelled Gajeel. I'm sure he smelled me too."

Lucy looked up from her position on the floor and groaned.

"What were we doing, Sting?"

Sting blinked, as if he didn't know what she was referring to.

He cocked his head to one side, his blond hair falling neatly towards it, and stared at her. Lucy held his gaze, not sure what he was thinking. How could she know? She barely knew him! He used to be so arrogant but he didn't seem like that right now. What was she doing, giving her first kiss to him?!

Sting held his hand out, helping her up. He held her hand and looked into her eyes not saying a word.

"W-…" She started

"Lucy," he gulped, "will you go on a date with me? Will you give me a chance?"

Lucy blinked. It was all too much but before she knew what was happening, she heard herself say, "…Yes."

Sting leaped up into the air, a giant smile spread across his face. The joy radiating from his face was almost child-like. Lucy found herself smiling as well.

"I know I did things the wrong way…I never really had to ask a woman on a date. I mean…I didn't know how else to do this…I want…I want to get to know you…I want to make you…I want to make you mine." Sting babbled

Immediately, Lucy felt the heat rush to her face. No one had ever been that honest with her. She nodded at him, not knowing how to respond. It was happening too fast. It was so unexpected. She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment but it was not…not…a bad...feeling…She felt like she could…Her thoughts were a mess... She could only stare at Sting's own red face. He was avoiding her gaze, as if he had finally realized the weight of his words. Could it be that Sting, himself, did not know what he was feeling as well? He didn't strike her to be so impulsive but when she looked back to the GMG he certainly was reckless.

Sting didn't know what he had said until after he said them. He hadn't noticed what he had been saying. He had gotten so nervous and excited at the same time that he had simply blurted it out without thinking. He was reckless, yes, but recently he had settled down. This only happened when he was around her. She caused him to want to do things he shouldn't do. She made him feel alive. He had never asked a girl on a date since he only had one-night stands but after hearing Lucy talk with the blue-haired girl (Lucy called her Levy?) he had the urge on asking Lucy on a date too. Lucy had been so ecstatic and he wanted her to ecstatic because of him. He wanted her to look at only him. He didn't know what those thoughts meant, but yeah, he wanted her. He wanted her to be his…and only his. If only Rouge was there. Rouge could tell him what was going on with him.

They stood rooted to the spot for several long minutes, both too afraid to move. As if they would shatter the moment that neither really understood. Lucy was the first to move, "…um…where are you staying," she shifted her weight onto her left leg.

Sting, again, cocked his head to one side, "I never really thought of that…hmm."

Lucy sighed and laughed at the same time, "Of course you didn't."

It seemed that even though he had become Sabertooth's guild master, he still was still carefree Sting.

"Do you know of a place where I could stay for a week?" He asked her

She walked towards her small kitchen, her cheeks burning, "You could stay…h—"

"I couldn't."

Embarrassment flooded her. It had been so bold of her to ask…

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her back into a strong but gentle embrace, "I don't think I could stop myself if I stayed overnight."

She leaned back, enjoying the feeling of his warmth.

"There's a small motel a couple of streets down that usually has vacant rooms. It's not the fanciest but I stayed there a few days until I found this place. It was comfortable. It had a home-like feeling…I think you'll like it. You're welcome to stay here too. Also, try to not to destroy it because it would be such a shame." She rambled on, forgetting that she had stayed there at least seven-eight years ago and didn't know if it was still in business

His voice was soft when he said it, "Lucy…it was destroyed in a fire a couple of years ago…I was in town when it happened…"

Lucy stiffened. She had forgotten. The reality of her lost seven years hitting her like a sudden splash of water.

"Oh."

His arms tightened around her, as if he knew the feeling of empty confusion and sadness, that often plagued her during the night, was washing over her now. She didn't cry for the lost time anymore. She only cried after finding out her father had died. It was difficult to explain it; it never really bothered her when she was surrounded by her guild mates since it felt like it never happened but it had. They all had lost seven precious years.

She allowed herself to indulge in his embrace for a long minute but then proceeded to the kitchen, "You can stay here. If you touch me, I'll Lucy Kick you."

Sting laughed, following her, "I'm sure I could live if you Lucy Kicked me."

She offered him a glass of water; it was too late for tea or coffee for that matter. Could she trust giving an already bursting-with-energy dragon slayer caffeine? She made a note in her mind to ask him later.

"You would, but you would have a heck of a bruise and tender groin for days. Not worth it, honey."

Taking the glass in his hand, he raised a golden eyebrow at her.

"I'll get the extra blankets out for you." Lucy chuckled

"Hey! I want to stay in the bed too!" Sting whined

"Whose apartment is it?" Lucy called back, having moved into her small closet full of extra trinkets and essentials

"B-but I'm your guest!"

Lucy smiled; initially she had had doubts about allowing him to stay at her apartment but the serene mood between them was surprisingly pleasant. It was interesting how they could go from passionate to such an easy-going relationship in such a short amount of time. She bit her lip; who exactly was Sting Eucliffe? Was this the same man who had laughed when Minerva had beaten her senseless? Yes, it was him but it wasn't him anymore…or at least it didn't seem like he was like that anymore… Lucy wanted to know who he was, what he liked, and if he had an interest in reading. She stopped herself mid-thought. Had she really just forgotten about Natsu? How could she be interested in another man already? Were her feelings for Natsu so shallow? She shook her head; Natsu had shown no romantic interest in her. Her feelings were sincere but sometimes…you…just…had to try to move…on. The all too familiar pain in her heart stabbed at her. Sting knew how she felt about Natsu; he had heard the conversation with Levy...No, she wasn't doing anything wrong. She wouldn't allow herself to dismiss Sting on account of feeling "guilty" when there was no reason to feel guilty. She would…give him a chance. She wanted to see where this spontaneous relationship would lead to. They weren't a couple yet…but she already found herself looking forward to those days. She only hoped the date would go well…

* * *

_A slow stream flowed from the pile of rocks. She ran toward it and kneeled beside the rocks. She was yelling something, the words escaped her ears. The hot liquid underneath was eating away at her skin but she no longer cared. The tears escaped her before she understood why she was crying. She turn her head to the left, towards the man who called her name, who owned her heart. "Why was she crying if he was there," he asked. She didn't have an answer._

_The scene changed. She was at her apartment. Something was wrong. She didn't know what it was but something was missing… A man walked into the room and the missing piece made everything okay. His facial features were blurred every time she attempted to look into his face. All she could make out was that his gaze was full of love. He burst into a thousand brilliant glowing lights when she touched him…_

_She was alone. The smell of burnt wood and flesh filled the air. She screamed a name she no longer recognized and limped toward the scent. It was burning in her nostrils, filling her with dread. There was an ache throbbing on the side of her neck, beckoning her forward. He was there. She had to go to him…_

_Flashes of red and white intermingled and dispersed. They collided constantly, until finally they merged and became a light shade of pink..._

* * *

Sting woke up to the constant sounds of ruffling sheets; he opened one eye, tilting his head towards her bed. Her hair was spread across her face, hiding her twitching facial features. He waited and in a few seconds she let out a small sound and flipped to the other side. He got up and crawled in bed with her. He adjusted her position slightly so he could hold her in his embrace. He smiled against her hair; he might get Lucy Kicked in the morning but how could he leave her at the mercy of her nightmares while he was there? He hummed a soft familiar melody that would soothe him whenever he was agitated. Her constant flustered movements ceased after a couple of minutes. Sting fell asleep a couple of minutes later. He liked the feeling of her next to him. He wondered if he was allowed to feel this way after what happened with...was it okay...? He would have to ask him and her later...

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**[A/N] **I hope it was an okay chapter. I wasn't fully satisfied with some parts *cough*lemon*cough*, but I hope the rest was okay. Also, how can Sting be so ajkfldjafjldaj (yeah not a word but it matches my thoughts exactly in this situation) then be gentle and child-like? I'm not quite sure but he's kind of taken on this kind of character when I write his parts out.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Disclaimer~**

**Fairy Tail does not belong to me nor will it ever...sadly.**

**A/N: I am going to apologize for taking this long to update &amp; for the short chapter! Again, I updated it with a short chapter to reassure you guys I am continuing with the story! :D No promises on the next update ****_date_**** since it's getting busier but it all depends on my inspiration to be honest. Thanks for being patient! As always, I hope it's okay!**

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Levy chattered away with the attendant but Lucy paid them no attention. She was mesmerized by the flowing silk wrapped around her delicate body. It was a combination of black and white with soft pink cherry blossoms winding around it. She felt an odd tug at her memory when she saw the pink but she dismissed it. She desperately wanted to purchase it but she could only afford to rent it. She sighed, at least she could wear it for tonight's festival. A small smile appeared on her face; she had awoken in Sting's arms and she had almost landed a Lucy Kick but he had dodged.

"Lucy, is that one it?" Levy poked her head in the room

"Yeah." Lucy replied breathlessly, excitement was starting to settle in

* * *

Sting had spent the morning running in the woods outside Magnolia. He had always had an abundance of energy and with the date later that day he had more than usual. Lector was now dozing off on Lucy's bed. He had flown straight at him, angry that he had been left outside the entire night.

"And you didn't even do anything! I don't mind it but how could you waste a perfect opportunity—" He had ranted

"Lucy is special, Lector. I'm sorry for forgetting about you. I…lost myself yesterday night. I'm sure Lucy won't mind you staying here too."

"I already knew that. I just wanted to hear you say it." Lector cackled, flying around the apartment laughing at Sting

"Lector! This is serious. I asked a girl out for the first time in my life. To a festival, no less. DO I WEAR A YUKATA OR DO I NOT? IS SHE WEARING A KIMONO? I DON'T KNOW. I'm so nervous I think I'm going to be sick." Sting groaned

"I know what she's wearing. I spied on her and her blue-haired friend. It's sooooo beautifuuuuuuulllll." Lector teased from the ceiling

"Lector!" Sting jumped up, trying to catch his exceed friend

"This is your punishment! Bye-Bye! I'm going to go visit Carla." Lector flew out of the window, laughing

Sting frowned. Since when did Lector have an interest in Carla? He would have to ask him later.

He turned his head to see a young couple dressed in a kimono and yukata walked by Lucy's apartment…

"Oi!"

The couple stopped in their track surprised at the sudden appearance of a blond in front of them. He grabbed hold of the mousy brown haired girl asking desperately, "Did you want your boyfriend to wear a yukata to go along with your kimono?! Did you naturally expect it or did you ask him to?!"

The startled male companion regained his composure and angrily complained, "Hey! Who are you?! Don't just scare my _girlfriend _like that!"

The girl gasped, "Kyo…you just…it was…that's the first time you called me…your…your _girlfriend_!"

Kyo grabbed her and held her close away from the blond, "Well you are and he needs to stay away!"

"Kyo…" She took hold of his face and kissed him

Sting looked at his feet sheepishly as he waited for them to err…finish.

"Um, what was it that you wanted to know?" The girl asked, smiling

She had explained to her boyfriend that he had meant no harm but she did confess she had been startled by him…

**_A couple of minutes later and several scolding's later_**

"Thank you!" Sting bowed profusely

"Hey, Sting. You know, you should probably start with putting on a shirt and not touching other girl's so lightly." The male laughed as him and his girlfriend left

"Huh? ...ARGH I DID IT AGAIN!" Sting leaped back into the apartment desperate to put on a shirt

_In three hours, huh?_

* * *

"Luuuuuuuuccccyyyyyyyyy!"

Lucy sighed and opened the bathroom door. Levy had been trying to convince her to wear some light make-up but Lucy had refused. She didn't usually wear make-up except for the occasional lip gloss. She had given up wearing make-up after getting soaked several times on missions.

Levy had argued, "But we're not on a mission! It's a date! I know how much you secretly love make-up!"

She had a point. Lucy missed wearing her once-usual make-up. At first she had been self-conscious about her "naked" face but she got used to it and she felt became more confident in herself…but at the same time she wanted to put on make-up and feel feminine and even more confident.

"Fine, you win!"

Levy squealed and dragged Lucy to the table she had make-up on.

"You're already pretty natural but I miss Lu's make-up style!" She babbled but Lucy wasn't listening

She was nervous about the date.

_Two hours left._

* * *

Sting was pacing around Lucy's apartment again. Every nerve in his body was bouncing with nervous energy. Wait, why was he in Lucy's apartment? Shouldn't he be arriving at her doorstep? _Sting, relax. You're being stupid. The blue haired one took her away in the morning. You'll pick her up at her house. WAIT, WHERE DOES SHE EVEN LIVE?! How can I pick her up if I don't know where she's at?! Stuuuupiidddd. You're a dragonslayer. OH. Scent. Yes. Duh. What is wrong with me today?!_

Sting shook his head. He needed to relax and not overthink things. He would just end up confused. He only wished his heart would settle and his nerves would go away. He was anxious, so anxious…

"ARGH SOMEONE JUST KILL ME NOWWWWWW!"

_Only an hour left._

* * *

It was time. Lucy and Levy were sitting on Levy's bed staring at anything but the door. Their eyes would occasionally flicker to the doorknob and quickly flutter away. They were both nervous.

Then, there was a slight sound…

There it was again… who could it be? Gajeel or Sting? Or both?

"Come in." Levy called out.

The door creaked open and they gasped.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, cheesy "cliffhanger" but I didn't know how else to end this chapter...it wasn't originally supposed to be like this and I was just going to go into the date right away but somehow this seemed to fit. I kind of enjoyed writing the "before-the-date" thing. Also, I find that I like writing from Sting's perspective more, haha. Anyway! Next chapter will be their first date! Thanks for reading! I hope everyone is doing alright &amp; if not, keep your head up! You're beautiful and I'd like to see your smile not the top of your head~! Special shout-out to my personal friend, Jackiee! My secret nickname for her is Kiekie. If anyone has any suggestions for their date or anything, leave a review telling me about it(-: Ah, and I'm inspired to write another Graylu...so heads up!**


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy and Levy had laughed until they were both unable to. Both Gajeel and Sting had burst through the door only to trip one another and fall on top of each other. The two couples were walking toward the festival that was taking place in the center plaza of Magnolia; the males were sulking. They were upset that they had been "un-cool" on their first date. Lucy made eye-contact with Levy and they smiled. They were so cute. Lucy had been taken aback when she was finally able to really look at Sting. He had come dressed in a yukata, something she thought he wouldn't ever wear. It really did suit him. It was a periwinkle blue and it was tied loosely so she was able to see a large part of his toned chest. She blushed faintly. He had nice slightly-tanned and smooth looking skin. She had wanted to take her hand and run her fingers over his chest. They had stared into each other's eyes for a long moment that was only broken when Gajeel cleared his throat. They both had looked away quickly and Sting rigidly held out his arm towards her. She had taken it with slight hesitation. She was anxious and weary. She didn't know what the future would bring and she found herself desperately wishing for a good outcome.

Gajeel and Sting would huff and look away whenever they looked at each other, blaming the other for the failed entrance. That changed as soon as Sting saw the cotton candy stand. He took hold of Lucy's hand, and dragged her along to buy two gigantic cones that were larger than Lucy.

"Sting," Lucy started, "are you sure you can breathe?"

Sting's muffled response sounded something like a yes. The two cones were in his arms, being devoured so quickly Lucy could only hope it would stay in Sting's stomach the entire night. Maybe some water would be good…

"I'm going to get us some drinks, okay?" Lucy began to make her way to the nearest food vendor but another stifled sound from Sting made her pause and look back only to burst out laughing.

"Wait, Lucy!" Sting exclaimed

Sting had eaten a hole straight through both the cones and had stuck his head out. It was absurd, absolutely absurd and she couldn't stop laughing. The great and might Sting Eucliffe looked like a colorful lion…no…like a fluffy flower. It was as if he had dandelion fluff all over his head.

His cheeks reddened, "It's not that funny…"

"It is," Lucy approached him, "but it's also adorable."

That caused his cheeks to burn bright red. Lucy bit her lip to keep herself from laughing again.

"So, what did you have to say?" She asked, her giddiness settling

"I…uh," Sting's eyes shifted to the ground, "…I like raspberry flavored water…"

Lucy crunched her face in confusion but then understanding dawned upon her. Raspberry flavored water was women's favorite drink. She winked at him, "I'll make sure they give it to me in a blue bottle."

The smile of relief was the best reward she could have asked for. His eyes twinkled whenever he was happy. No, not just happy. _Truly happy. _She had barely started to get to know him but he was so easy to figure out. He reminded her of Natsu. She didn't know how he had ever been the cold-hearted, mean-spirited, power-hungry Sting of the GMG. She knew Sabertooth had _had _a cruel master and it explained a lot of their behavior, however, she wanted to know Sting's reasons.

"Two flavored water bottles, please." She ordered absentmindedly

"What flavors?" the young male asked, giving her a lopsided smile

An uncomfortable embarrassment flushed her cheeks, "Cherry and raspberry, but could I have the raspberry in a blue container?"

"Anything for a cute customer." He winked at her, turning to fill the bottles

"Here you go," he handed her the bottles, slipping a piece of paper in between them, "On the house."

"I…,"Lucy began

"How about you take the damn money and find another girl to hit on?" Sting growled, slamming the money on the counter

The young man stared at Sting in bewilderment; Sting still hadn't taken off the cotton candy and did not look intimidating whatsoever. Lucy grabbed the two bottles and muttered a thanks to the man. Sting followed her a few feet behind her. She didn't know if she found it endearing or slightly irritating…Sting had gotten her out of an unwanted advance but would he do it with every man that approached her? That would be a little out-of-hand, wouldn't it?

As if he knew what she was contemplating Sting said, "I could smell his arousal."

Lucy slowed down her pace to allow Sting to catch up, not saying anything. Oh, so not only had Sting heard the conversation but he had also _smelled _it.

"I'm not really the jealous type, Lucy," he turned to her, "I can't help myself if the man smells like _that _when they talk to you."

Somewhat relieved she replied, "I'll believe you. I was worried for a minute that you would be, but I get I now."

He smiled, his smile lopsided, but unlike the vendor's it sent little jitters down her back and to her stomach. She handed him his bottle without looking at him, unable to. It made sense that as a Dragonslayer he would be able to smell arousal and the idea of it hadn't crossed her mind before. Her cheeks heated again.

"Well," she started, picking her words carefully, "I guess there's no use hiding it from you, right?"

His devilish smirk was all the response she needed.

They wandered around the festival not holding hands but standing close enough for their arms to brush against each other and Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't feel the electricity between their skins. It left her with a pressure building up inside of her that made it hard to breathe near him. Furtively looking around she spotted a familiar game. She quickened her pace and called Sting over, "Look!"

Sting didn't need to be told twice, he paid the vendor and both him and Lucy grabbed hold of a miniature fishing net They crouched next to the tub filled with water and inspected the fish swimming around in the clear water.

"They're all so beautiful." Lucy whispered

"That's because," Sting paused watching loose strands of her hair fall forward as she peered into the tub, "…they're enchanted."

She met his gaze, "I know."

Again, they stayed looking into each other's eyes until the vendor discreetly coughed to hurry them up. Scratching the back of his head, Sting tried to focus on the shining and colorful fish in the tub below. It was difficult. He could see her reflection and it took all he had to _not _reach over and tuck her hair behind her ears.

"Sting?" Her light voice questioned

"What…," Sting froze, his free hand had a strand of her hair

Her face was tinted a faint pink but she took hold of his hand and slowly, oh so very slowly, guided it, tucking her hair behind her ear. He retracted his hand, immediately missing the warmth and softness of her hand. He gulped and quickly caught a brilliant pink and white goldfish. _Ah, it's a goldfish but it's not gold…haha..._ He stood up awkwardly, and placed it in one of the bags held by the vendor. The knowing look in his eyes did nothing to settle Sting's nerves. A minute later a little yelp of triumph came from Lucy. She had caught a blue-green fish.

And they were walking again. Coughing, Sting moved his fish over to his other hand and tried to work up the nerve to grab hold of Lucy's hand. He inched his hand closer to hers.

Painfully slow. Lucy could feel his hand crawling closer to hers but it felt like it was taking an eternity. Bracing herself, she took the initiate and grabbed his hand. Their fingers blundered until finally their hands were entwined. _How could he be so shy to hold my hand when just yesterday he…_ The memories flooded her conscience, sending heat to her core. _We are not going to think of that, Lucy._

_"_What did you name your fish?" She asked, trying to distract herself from the memory of how his hands felt against her abdomen

He took a moment to reply, "She's called Periwinkle."

"Periwinkle?" His fish wasn't anything close to blue!

"Very original, dontcha' think?" He grinned at her

She couldn't help but return the smile, "Mine's called Opal."

"Opal sucks," he stuck out his tongue, "your fish is blue-green!"

"You're the one who named his fish _'Periwinkle'_ when it's obviously anything but blue!" She retorted, sticking her tongue out right back at him

Before putting her tongue back in her mouth, Sting swooped in and bit the tip of it, smirking. She pulled back, covering her mouth with her hand, heat pooling to her face and…some down under.

"W-w-what was that?!" She mumbled through her hand

He shrugged, the teasing smirk still playing on his lips, "I'm a Dragonslayer. I have weird kirks."

That wasn't an answer. How did he go from being a timid little boy to a sex-loving fiend in such a short time span?!

"Lucy?"

She turned at the familiar voice, inwardly groaning at the mess things were just going to become.

"Hi, Natsu."

"Natsu-san!"

* * *

**Hi guys, it's been such a long time. I'm really sorry. ): I get out for Summer break tomorrow! I should be updating this more often. No promises...I'll be honest, I'm thinking this will be a short story since it originally was a one-shot. I'd say maybe 10 chapters but that might be pushing it. Anyway, thank you for reading and sticking with it!(: Thanks for the reviews too! :D I'll be working on chapter 5 right now since I owe it to you guys so expect an update soon! I want to say tomorrow...anyway I'll be back later to write some more here to explain a little bit more!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Natsu had thought it had been odd that he had caught a whiff of Sting on a light breeze but he had shrugged it off since he was in the middle of training. When his scent had again penetrated Natsu's sensitive sensory glands he chased after it, following it to Lucy's apartment and then to the festival in Magnolia's center square. He had just arrived to the scene and was ready to bellow, "Sting, let's fight," but Sting had leaned in and bitten Lucy's tongue. The erotic scene along with Lucy's scent of arousal had stirred a sleeping beast inside of him, made it rear its head from the slumber it had been forced to endure. The chains creaked against the strain it put on his self-control and all Natsu could do was say, "Lucy?"

Sting's honed senses had told him Natsu was approaching but they had also been filled with _her_. Instead of being wary of Natsu, he found himself ignoring him and focusing on his beautiful blonde companion. It hadn't been his intention to rile Natsu up. Actually, he had been glad to see his respected fellow Dragonslayer. It wasn't until after he exclaimed, "Natsu-san," that he realized the situation they were in. The abrupt appearance of Natsu's inner dragon had Sting stepping in front of Lucy, ready to fend of Natsu if he lost all control.

"Sting, what is it?" Lucy asked, her voice low

Sting waved his hand at her, dismissing her question and telling her to remain silent. Tension radiated off their muscles, spreading outward until the atmosphere was crushing and Lucy could hardly bear to breathe without fearing them springing at each other. They were both very still, so very still. It had gone quiet. There was something off with Natsu and as much as Lucy wanted to call out to him she knew that was a stupid thing to do right now because the eyes burning into her own were not Natsu's.

He had moved too quick for her to register what happened. She just heard the unnatural crack of stone as Sting smashed him into the ground and a moment later Sting had her thrown over his shoulders, running from the site. Lucy stared back at Natsu, whose body twitched. It was so unlike him to remain fallen in a battle. _She had spoken too soon_. As if hearing her thoughts, Natsu reared back from the ground, sending a roar into the evening sky. It reverberated through Lucy's bones and she felt the pang of need and sorrow. It hurt. Natsu was in pain. She struggled against Sting's iron-tight grip.

"Sting, he's in pain." She yelled over the pounding in her ears

"I know." His voice was even, not the slightest bit winded from the exertion of carrying her and running full speed

"Let me go to him!" She pounded her fists on his back

His voice had been soft and quiet that she almost missed his reply, "You'll only hurt him more."

His words sunk deeply, crumbling her resolve.

"I'll explain it to you later, when you're safe." He said, when she had gone limp

She didn't respond. She could only look up at the darkening sky, wondering why she had been the one to cause Natsu pain.

* * *

It was cold, so cold. His flames were burning the brightest they had in years but their heat did nothing to placate the empty hole inside. He couldn't smell her anymore. _Where? _A low growl escaped his throat and he strained against the chains placed on his arms and legs.

Gajeel watched Natsu from the corner of the room, balancing on a rickety wooden chair. Natsu's head swiveled around, attempting to sniff out Lucy. It was a damn pitiful sight to see. He crossed his arms; he would be here awhile. Natsu had gotten up to chase after Sting but Gajeel had knocked him out before he made it too far. He had felt Natsu's dragon snap free and after leaving Levy with Gray, he had made his way to Natsu. The idiot. He knew Natsu was an idiot but to be this much of an idiot… Now all they could do was wait, wait until Natsu regained control or until Sting claimed Lucy. Natsu growled at Gajeel and Gajeel growled, "Shut up, idiot. Hurry up and come back."

* * *

Lucy sat on the bare bed, still trying to process what Sting had just told her. Her eyes darted at the equally bare room, taking in the simple dresser and chair again and again, avoiding the blond in front of her.

"So…Natsu…He…His dragon…is trying to claim me as its mate?" She asked for the millionth time in that half-hour

Sting didn't look at her when he responded, "Yeah."

He felt, rather than see, her eyebrows furrow, connecting the dots. He was frightened. Not of Natsu-san, but of Lucy. He was terrified. Terrified she would pick Natsu. He couldn't blame Natsu-san. He'd only known of Lucy's existence for a few months and had only really started to get to know her this day. It made sense if she picked him. Sting couldn't bring himself to mark Lucy as his own, like Gajeel had told him, without her knowing the truth of Natsu-san's erratic behavior. It wouldn't be fair.

"It's because he loves me, isn't it?"

It hurt. His heart hurt. With every pump of blood it sent the pain throughout his body. It hurt. The growing feeling of despair hung about him, but he answered her with a sad smile, "Yeah, he _has_ loved you. He just didn't realize it."

The truth was that Natsu-san knew. Sting was sure he knew and he had imprisoned his needs in exchange of friendship. Except…when a Dragonslayer found their mate, they wanted something more than friendship, they wanted love. They wanted stolen kisses, waking up in their arms, being tangled up in the sheets with them. They wanted everything. It had been idiotic of Natsu-san to even think about such an outrageous concept but to have actually succeeded for such a long time demonstrated the enormous amount of self-control he truly had. To everyone he was reckless and hot-headed, but he was also smart. Well, it could be argued that he was just a fool that refused to listen to fate. Whichever it was, it was clear he truly cared for Lucy…But so did Sting…Why would Natsu-san's love be more valid than his own? Was it because he knew her, loved her longer than him? Was it because he had done so much for her? Was it because he hadn't laugh when Minerva beat the shit out of her? Was it because he caught her when she fell? Was it because he was always there for her? _Why?_

Sting regretted his actions at the GMG. Fuck, if he could he would go back and tell his past self to grow some balls right there and then. To stop fearing the fucktard of a master they had and do what he really wanted to do. He had been angry, no, he had been furious at Minerva for hurting her. His primal beast had reared its head in defiance and fury, but he had suppressed it, laughing to cover up the grimace gracing his face. Oh, he had wanted her. He had wanted her so much it hurt but when Lector had been taken from him a fog of emptiness had settled over him, numbing his aching desire. There had been too many things that had been wrong, just wrong in his life at that moment and he had let her go.

He dared take a look at Lucy who had remained quiet after he answered her. Her blonde locks hung downward, covering her face from view. Her hands were white from gripping the bedframe. Sting released a shaky breath. For Lucy, for her happiness, to see her smile again, he would let her go again.

"Lucy," he started, crouching to be able to look into her face, "if you want to, I'll take you to him."

There were tears streaming down her creamy skin, and Sting gently wiped them away, "I know you loved him. I knew it before I even met you. It was a foolhardy thing to do. To do what I did…I won't stand in your way, Lucy. Here," Sting pried her hands from the bedframe, holding them gently, "come with me. I'll take you to him."

Lucy didn't budge, "No."

That was all it took for a rainbow of hope to materialize in him, but he forced it back down. No reason to get excited if it was only going to be covered by a cloud. He opened his mouth to speak.

Lucy hushed him, looking into his eyes for the first time they had entered the room, "I loved him and I waited so long for him. I was so sure it was love. I was sure it was the love that I had been waiting for, searching for all these years. Then you came. You, Sting Eucliffe, set me on fire. I burned with need, passion, whenever I would even catch a glimpse of your hair, and your habit of not wearing a shirt didn't help much," her lips drew a small smile, "I want you, Sting."

_I want you, Sting. _He could have laughed. He could have cried. _In your face, Rouge! _He had done it. Lucy had chosen him…She had hadn't she?

"Wait, me?" he asked, hardly able to contain the happiness seeping into his voice

"Yes, idiot." She smiled, the light hardly reaching her eyes

_Ah, it still must hurt._

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It'll hurt a bit." _Not more than your heart right now…_

"Okay. What should I do?"

"Move your hair out of the way." Sting stood as he waited for her to move her hair to the left side of neck

She closed her eyes as he approached her. His lips brushed her neck, sending chills down her back. Yes, Sting was the one she wanted. He was it. He was the one.

His tongue flicked over the area he had kissed and then there was a gentle nip.

"I can't." Sting breathed onto her neck

"Why?" She turned to him, their noses touching as Sting raised his head

"Because I want your whole heart."

"Sting," She began

But she never finished what she meant to say. There was a blinding flash of light and a roar that caused her to flinch and want to run away.

Sting had been thrown across the room, slamming into the wooden wall. The creaking and groaning of the walls told him he had to get Natsu-san out of here before he brought the whole building down with Lucy in it. He didn't have to say anything to her because Leo (that was the flirtatious orange-haired lion one, right?) already had her in his arms and was jumping out of a hole in the wall. _Great. _Now he could focus on Natsu-san.

Sting wore his familiar smirk, faking confidence, and welcomed Natsu-san.

"Hey."

He growled, baring his elongated teeth.

"Guess you want your mate, back, huh?" Sting said, leaning against the cracked wall, "No can do. She's mine."

He braced himself for Natsu-san's attack. This would take some time, not that he minded. He had energy to spare, time to kill.

* * *

**Alright, so I didn't update yesterday, but I updated today! Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm thinking two more chapters and it'll be completed!(: Thanks for reading! I'm thinking of moving this story to Wattpad where I currently am writing some stories of mine but I'm not sure yet. I'll probably edit it and then do it. Not sure. Anyway, please excuse any mistakes I made. I didn't quite look over it since I wanted to update like I promised! And I have three ideas for my next fanfic. If you guys have any suggestions, I'd gladly listen to them. I have an Ulquihime one that I've been wanting to write for so long. I also have a Vampire Knight one, (AidouxYuuki). ORRRR I could do another Fairy Tail one. Let me know what you guys think. I'll put priority on the one you guys want! Alright, I'll see you guys in a week or so. Bye! Oh, and just in case you don't know what GMG means, it's Grand Magic Games. :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The black smoke rose higher than the giant pine trees they were running through. Loke had refused to let her down so Lucy found herself watching the smoke grow larger and larger as it tried to engulf the evening sky with its darkness. With nothing but her thoughts, she wondered why it was that she had been running away this entire time. The trees were nothing more than a blur. _Why was she treated like a princess that needed saving_? Loke's uneven breathing filled her ears, masking any other sounds. _Why couldn't she fight alongside of Sting_? His hands were gripping her tightly. _Why was she still running away?_ Loke's sweat poured down, soaking her kimono. _So much for renting it. Maybe she would just get in the way. They were Dragonslayers and she wasn't anywhere near as strong as those two, but there was one thing she could do that would end this._

She whispered her apology to Loke and forced the gate closed. It hurt to close it forcefully and she landed painfully on her bottom as Loke disappeared. His face of pure shock and slight betrayal haunted her as she stood up. She took a step only to stumble and fall into the soft ground. Her attire was inappropriate. Without hesitation, she kicked off her sandals and loosen the kimono to move around with ease. She didn't dare summon Virgo or any of her celestial spirits in case they attempted to stop her under Loke's orders. _I'm sorry, Loke. _After thinking of her foolish plan, she began trudging the way back, back to Natsu, back to _Sting._

* * *

Sting wiped his mouth with the torn sleeve of his yukata and ripped it off afterwards. Natsu-san was more than he could handle, but it didn't mean he was going to give up. Right now, Natsu-san was a danger to Lucy. He dodged a blow to his right and hardly had time to block a kick to his left. _Damn_.

Natsu-san was beyond words, which wasn't relatively new, but this Natsu-san was pure power. Sting landed a blow on Natsu-san's shoulder only to receive one in return that sent him spiraling into the trunk of giant pine tree. It groaned and shuddered as it fell to the ground, the force of impact had taken its toll on its ancient build.

Sting gasped in pain as he stood up; he was sure he had broken a rib or two. _Yeah, I'm totally not a match for him._ He had no choice. His body glowed with a bright white light as he released his Dragon Force.

"Let's dance, Natsu-san." He cracked his neck and charged

* * *

Natsu's roars and flames were her compass. She could faintly make out the red and white clashing against each other in the distance. She had _had_ to take a wide turn because of Natsu's burning hot flames that were ravaging the forest. She would have stopped and looked for a source of water to summon Aquarius to put them out but there were more important things at stake here. Sting was in danger. Natsu was in pain.

She had just gotten close enough to make out their features when she saw Natsu fling Sting to the ground with a cringe-worthy crack.

The scream was ripped from her lips before she knew what she was saying, "Sting!"

His ears twitched in response to her call. _What was she doing here?! _He struggled to stand; his left wrist was fractured, thankfully not broken. Well, at least not yet. He had to get to her be—

Natsu was by her side, gripping her arm tightly yet gently. He was tugging her towards him while she resisted. He itched to go to her and take her from him but he didn't move. _Call for me. _He waited. He shouldn't have waited those few seconds. _No…._

Lucy pulled against Natsu's hold on her. _Nonononono. _She hadn't even been able to execute her plan. There was no way—the sensation started at her neck, on the same place where Sting had bit her. It was cold. It ran down her body, leaving it numb and tingling. Her vision blurred and she mumbled, "Sting," before she passed out.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in through her opened window and the daily bustle of life in Magnolia sounded from outside. _It's time to get up_. She knew that but her body ached to stay in her warm sheets. Groaning, she rolled off her bed, landing with a thump on her floor. She was still tangled up in her sheets when there was click as her door was opened. Lazily, she opened one of her eyes to see a very surprised Natsu standing in the doorway with some bags in his hands.

"Luce!" He cried out stumbling over his feet to get to her

"Morning, Natsu." She grinned

"Did you fall out of bed?" He asked as he attempted to pick her up

Lucy pushed him away, "No, the floor was comfortable."

Natsu sat by her, carefully observing her.

"What is it, Natsu?" she laughed, slowly sitting up and drawing her knees up to her chest

She was so happy. She didn't know why. She could feel the fatigue and soreness but she was almost giddy. It was unlike her. Natsu's eyes pierced hers with a seriousness that dampened her spirits.

"Lucy, I'm sorry."

_Sorry? Sorry for what?_

_"_Stop being silly, Natsu," Lucy stood up, "I don't know why you're apologizing, but I do know that I'm extremely hungry."

Stepping around Natsu, she wobbled her way over to the bags he had left discarded by the door.

"Did you bring anything to eat? I can't remember the last time I had anything to eat. Say, did you see Gray? I have a T-shirt of his that I need to give back. The idiot forgot…" She frowned, "to take it home…"

"There's some bread and other stuff in the bags."

Natsu didn't say anything else as he helped Lucy around in the kitchen while she made something to eat. Being around Natsu and his warmth in her small kitchen made her happy. She always imagined it would feel like this if they ever got together. Natsu and her working together to make food…to make…she blushed. It was too early to think of that, but she found herself seeing hands crawl up her abdomen and…a pressure began to build up in her forehead. _Whatever. Natsu's here. I can think about this later._

Lucy munched on her sandwich, greedily savoring the taste on her tongue. How long had it been that she hadn't eaten? She had a suspicion that it tasted better than usual because Natsu had been making his own next to her and that he was seated across from her.

"Where's Happy?" She asked, just noticing the blue cat's absence

Natsu swallowed, "He's with Wendy. They should be here soon."

Lucy took a look around her room, "Thank goodness it's cleaned."

"Luce, we need to talk."

Again with the grave and solemn look, "Look, Natsu," she pointed her sandwich at him, "I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep and the last thing I want to do is sit here and talk. Let's go on a mission, you and me."

"This is important."

His leg was bouncing underneath the table. He was nervous. Lucy sighed, "Can we go on a mission afterwards?"

"I'll always go on a mission with you." He replied

"Not an answer, but fine." Lucy uncrossed her legs, and leaned on her elbows, "Tell me."

Natsu looked away for a moment, his hand playing with his scarf, "Lucy, I marked you."

Lucky tilted her head to the side, her face scrunched up, "Marked me?"

There was something familiar about those words. They brought along some shattered memories of yellow and blue.

Natsu scratched his head, trying to think of a way to start, "Dragons…They have one—"

"Mate." Lucy finished for him

She knew this. She just didn't know how she knew this. _I probably read a book on it somewhere._

"What's the problem with it?" Lucy asked, "I like you so I don't understand why this would be a big deal."

Did she really just confessed like that? She was so casual about it. What was wrong with her? Lucy pressed a hand against her temple to try to relieve the pressure still building up there.

Natsu looked at her with a soft tenderness in his eyes, almost like…

"I didn't love you, did I?" Lucy whispered

"No."

"Then why…"

"I'm sorry, Lucy, I wasn't in control."

Lucy pushed away from the table, standing up. How did it make sense? She somehow _knew_ she hadn't loved him, but right now it felt like all she wanted was _him. _His presence alone had her bursting with energy despite her physical state. It felt _right. _How wasn't it right?

There was a shuffling noise as he approached her, "Stay away," she muttered.

Her head was killing her. Her neck was throbbing. She reached for her neck only to flinch back. She ran to her bathroom. She shivered, but not from pleasure. On her neck, there were miniscule red scales growing from…_he _bit her there. A flash of yellow. A flash of red.

_What…Who…was she forgetting?_

There was a polite knock at her door and she scrambled to open it, "Wendy!"

"Lucy-san!" the young sky Dragonslayer replied, her eyes lighting up

"Thank goodness you're here. If you don't mind would you please take care of a headache I have right now?" Lucy let her in, smiling at Carla and Happy

With a quick incantation, Wendy had erased her headache along with the occasional visions that had been clouding her mind.

"Um, Lucy-san. You've been asleep for…some time. Can I make sure you're okay?" She asked, her long ponytails swishing side to side as she walked to Lucy's couch

Lucy didn't hesitate, and plopped next to her, "Sure!"

Natsu hovered around the back, watching them.

"Natsuuuuuu, you owe me that mission. Wanna come Wendy?"

"We can all look at the mission board as soon as Wendy is done." Natsu answered

Lucy smiled. It was going to be a good day.

* * *

**Alright, so I said it was going to be seven chapters and it was. I had planned it to be seven chapters. I even had the ending ready, but while writing this chapter it blossomed into something else. So instead of the original seven chapters for this, it'll be a couple more chapters longer. How long? It depends on you guys. Do you guys just want like three extra chapters to this or do want it be around 20 chapters? Please review too. I'd like to know what you're thinking. It's kind of hard to know lol. Right now I can go either way.**

**Also, I've started to move this story to Wattpad. It's already published there too. So head on over and check it out. I'm thinking of adding a special chapter there at the end of the story. It'll be eventually uploaded here too but I'm trying to transition over there and it'd be nice if I got some support there too.(:**

**Username: KJ_Dreams**

**Idk, I love you guys too much, although you're a quiet bunch. XD Thanks for reading! See you guys next week~~! (If I get some reviews this time about what you guys are thinking, I'll update again this week...YES. I'M BRIBING YOU. With what? My writing. I'm sorry) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Together they made their way to the guild. Lucy walked on the edge of the sidewalk, stretching her arms to the sides to maintain balance. As usual, the men on the rowboat yelled, "Lucy-san, be careful!" Lucy, feeling the best she had in…well she didn't really know, sent them her best smile, flashing her brilliant white teeth.

She hummed, "It's going to be a good day, such a good day."

Natsu and Wendy exchanged looks, but didn't say anything. Well, let them be downers. Lucy wanted to have fun. She wanted to enjoy herself.

Natsu smiled as Lucy squeaked when she saw the guild, "It feels like I haven't been here in years!"

She ran ahead of them, too excited to wait. Natsu walked alongside Wendy at a slower pace.

"She looks so happy." Wendy commented

"It's not real."

"Natsu-san, you don't know that."

Natsu growled, "I know."

Wendy only looked at Natsu, pity clearly displayed in her brown eyes. They entered to a rambunctious guild; everyone was greeting Lucy, who was practically beaming with delight at being home. After exchanging their greetings, Gray and Erza nodded at them. They followed them to Gramp's office.

Gramps was seated on top of his desk. Gajeel and Levy were already in the room. Natsu sniffed the air; Juvia wasn't anywhere nearby. It seemed she hadn't been here for a couple of days. _Odd._ Wouldn't she normally be around Gray? He shrugged it off.

"How is she?" Gramps spoke

"Other than the obvious happiness, she seems to be physically okay. I can't speak about her mental state. Earlier," Wendy paused, wondering if she should say anything but Lucy's health was more important than Natsu's feelings, "it seemed that her suppressed memories had induced a migraine."

"And you can continue to suppress her memories?"

Wendy nodded, "Yes."

Gramps stayed quiet for a moment; instead, Erza spoke up, "We'll place Lucy under each other's care. Wendy, you'll have to stay near until we know how long your magic lasts."

Gray added, "Natsu, you'll have to move in."

Irritation prickled his skin, "I know, _ice princess._"

"I wasn't the flame-brain that marked her when she—"

"Gray." Erza snapped

Gray gritted his teeth, but leaned against the wall in tensed silence. Natsu knew that Gray didn't approve of their plan but he'd just have to suck it up and work with them. It was Lucy they were talking about.

"Lucy wanted to go on a mission with us." Wendy pitched in, motioning towards Natsu

Erza and Gramps looked at one another and nodded, "Alright."

Everyone started to file out of the room; the meeting had ended. Erza held Natsu back, "Natsu," she paused waiting for the door to close, "You better take care of her or you'll be answering to me."

Glancing at Gramps, Natsu replied, "I will." _It was Lucy they were talking about._

* * *

Gray watched in annoyance as Lucy ran to Natsu with her ever-present smile. _Has she not stopped smiling? _Together they made their way to the request board and while Lucy complained about the missions, Gray could only curl his hands into fists to resist the urge to pummel Natsu. Suppressing his anger, Gray tucked in his hands in his pockets and strolled towards them. Natsu stiffened, but relaxed when Gray greeted Lucy, "Yo."

Gray ignored the blush spreading across his face as Lucy hugged him, "Gray!"

"How've you been?" He asked, hugging her back

"I think I've been fine." She answered, stepping back and taking a look around

"Juvia's not here right now." Gray snickered

"I can still sense her daggers."

Gray shrugged.

Natsu interrupted their idle chatter, "Are we doing this?" He held out a paper with some words scribbled on it. The reward was 2500J.

"What are we doing?" Lucy asked

Gray began to make his way to the doors; he didn't care about the mission. He cared about Lucy's well-being. Natsu was a flame-brain idiot. Yes, Natsu had taken care of her very well before but things were different now. They couldn't risk another rampage. Not with Lucy in…that damned state. If only they would listen to him. They couldn't just keep her living a lie. It wasn't their choice. It was Lucy's choice but they gave her none. He understood that what he wanted to give her was dangerous and life-threatening but he _knew _Lucy. He _knew _she wouldn't want to be kept in the dark, kept in a web of lies.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

Gray burst in, shedding his drenched clothes without a second thought, "What happened?!"

He had been in the middle of returning from a mission when Erza had called him through a lacrima to hurry up.

Releasing a breathless, "Lucy," he rushed to Lucy's unconsciousness body laid on the makeshift bed in Master's office. He almost tripped over Sting Eucliffe, Sabertooth's new master, who was crouched next to the couch, holding Lucy's hand in his. He didn't even flinch as Gray stumbled around him._ What was he doing here?_

Gray briefly touched Lucy's face and relaxed as he felt her warm cheek. _She's alive. _No one had answered him so Gray asked again, "What's going on?"

He scanned the faces in the room, Erza, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Gajeel, Levy, Mira, Master, and Natsu. Erza was the first one and the only one to explain the events to him. Before anyone could stop him he had punched Natsu and had him by his scarf, pressed against the wall.

"Stop."

Gray looked at the hand on his shoulder in surprise. Out of everyone there, he would have thought _he _would be the last one to stop him. The dead look in Sting's eyes brought Gray to his senses. He was the most affected.

"Alright." Gray dropped Natsu and walked to the other side of the room.

"Natsu lost control. It's," Gajeel sent a pointed look at Gray, "difficult to restrain and regain control after you have fought it for so long."

"I didn't want to mark her." Natsu added, lamely, "I locked it up because I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"How long?" Gray asked, not looking at Natsu

"Since I met her."

Gajeel whistled, "You're something else, Salamander."

Gray threw a look at Sting and raised his eyebrows, "So what can we do?"

Sting answered, "We do nothing."

_Wait, what? _Gajeel grunted in agreement, "If her body rejects the mark, she could die."

Gray looked around the room, disgusted, "Wait, so from what I'm understanding, you _want _her to be mated to Natsu even if _she _didn't want to?"

"It wouldn't have taken hold if she hadn't felt something for him in the first place." Sting murmured

"How can you give up so easily?!" Gray yelled at Sting, completely confused why everyone thought it was a good idea to just let things proceed as normal

Neither did he look at Gray nor replied; instead, Sting returned to his place by Lucy, ignoring everyone.

"Why is she unconsciousness then? Obviously her body is fighting it because _she _wanted something else." Gray argued

"Gray, the process of rejection is painful and the risk of death is high." Levy interjected

Gray pointed at Sting, "What about her memories with him? If she loved him, then she'll be in constant pain for the rest of her life!"

"Wendy believes she can suppress those with her magic."

Gray ran a hand through his hair. How could they… "You're saying, you're going to erase Sting from her life? You're going to take a part of her life to keep her alive?"

Erza answered him, "Yes. We all decided it would be the safest and best course of act—"

"Bullshit!" Gray spat

"Gray," Master spoke for the first time, "it's for Lucy's sake."

"No, no it's not! If it was for _her_, you would allow her to choose what she wanted to do. You're all being selfish and covering _his_," Gray glared at Natsu, "sorry ass."

"Gray, it's fine." Sting stood up, briefly kissing Lucy's forehead, and headed towards the door.

"You're just going to _leave her?_"

"No. She'll always be my only one."

"_You're. leaving. her."_

Sting paused by the door, his voice empty and sad, "I want her to _live_ more than I want her to be with _me," _and then he left.

Fury. Fury boiled inside of him, but his voice came out flat and cold, "You guys can't play _god_ without the consequences."

Gray left the room, refusing to listen to more of their bullshit.

**_End of Flashback_**

* * *

**Hi, I'm back. This chapter had been done for a while now, but I waited to upload it. My writing will be slower from now on until I adjust. (I recently got a job.) I'm also working on another short fanfic (One-shot) and it's my priority right now. I'm not sure I'll upload anymore fanfics on here after I complete my two active ones. I'm still undecided. **

**As always, thanks for reading! :D**

**See you in around two weeks maybe three. It really depends on my inspiration to write to be honest. Yes, Chapter eight is already in the works.**

**P.S- Where's Juvia?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Gray-sama rarely asked anything of Juvia, but when he had arrived, shirtless and soaking wet, and asked her, she had not hesitated. Lucy, although her love rival, was a dear friend of hers as well. Juvia would do it for her and Gray-sama. She'd thought it'd be quick but now a whole month had passed and she achingly missed her raven-haired prince. She also wondered how Lucy was faring too in the brief moments of clarity when she wasn't thinking of Gray-sama.

Had it not been the glint of the light and the slight rustling of the bush she would have missed it. _Juvia has not failed you, Gray-sama._

Without a cloud in sight, the sky was like a never-ending light blue sea ready to be swam in and underneath the sea was a vast expanse of greens and yellows rolling as an undercurrent swept past.

In between the waist-high grass moved four figures with two flying cats buzzing around them. Instead of a cool and refreshing dip in the sea, the weather was hot and humid from the blazing Sun. The pink-haired male strolled next to the sweating trio who dragged their feet in the dry dust of the plains, stirring little dust tornadoes in their wake.

"Gray, can't you cool us down?" The blonde whined, wiping the sweat of her forehead to no avail, immediately there was another layer of liquid replacing the previous.

The undressed man frowned at her, "If I'm usually colder than you, and I'm sweating along with you, what makes you think I am any better off than you?"

An embarrassed smile graced her features, "Oh, right."

"Um," the young girl interrupted, speaking for the first time, "I can cast a spell to cool your body temperature."

Gray and Lucy exclaimed together, "Why didn't you say so earlier, Wendy?!"

Flustered, Wendy cast a spell on all three of them. They all sighed in relief, content to finally be free of the buckets of sweat that had been pouring out.

"If he's rich," Lucy whined, "why does he choose to live in the middle of nowhere with no direct access to transportation to and from the closest town?!"

"You had an entire town built on your estate!"

"That's true, but we made it accessible! This is just a dirt road!"

"Come on, guys! It's not that bad!" Natsu grinned at them

Syncing once again, Lucy and Gray yelled, "You have no right to talk!"

Gray thought it almost felt like it had been before. _Almost. _He grinded his teeth in annoyance and looked away as Natsu playfully head-butted Lucy and she laughed. They were acting like c-couple. Gray tried to not gag at the word.

He would have been happy for them in any other world, maybe even if it was just one of those stories Fairy Tail's raving fans occasionally mailed to them asking them about their thoughts on their latest chapter. It was weird to read about himself and his fellow comrades but he had to admit some of them had been pretty good. There had been one in particular that had had him in tears and cursing himself for being so stupid. After a couple of days of moping around the guild, he had decided he would no longer read them.

They were too distracting. It was just plain _weird_. Of course, only after he found out what happened to Gray and Lucy's current failing relationship. He needed a happy ending, dammit.

He blinked out of his useless rambling and watched as Lucy shoved Natsu to the side. _Right. Reality was different._

The six of them stood in silent awe at the towering mansion. It was larger than the Hearfillia mansion, if only by height. It had no particular color – splashes of every color imaginable painted its walls – and there hardly were any windows. It was monstrous in size and appearance.

"I say, we get out of here." Gray whispered, a slow trepidation making its way to his stomach

"What about my rent?" Lucy pouted and Natsu laughed, "We can just tear it down. It's just a house."

"Natsu-san," Wendy cried, "let's not do that!"

"We can take another mission, Lucy." Gray insisted

"Oh? Ice princess is scared of a little-bitty house, ain't he?" Natsu smirked

At this Gray snapped and forgot about his sudden apprehension, "What was that, flame-brain?!"

"Guys," Lucy called, "Wendy, Carla, and I are going ahead."

Both male mages nodded in acknowledgment not bothering to take their eyes off each other. As the door clicked shut Natsu growled at Gray.

Gray hissed, "I've been waiting to do this again," and let his fist fly, making impact with Natsu's jaw. Natsu used the momentum of the hit to move back.

"Gray!"

"Natsu!"

An onslaught of fists, kicks, and magic followed their outburst – lighting up the darkening sky with quick bursts of blue and red. The dry plains would have been a raging fire had it not been for the sub-zero temperature of the ice released by Gray.

A sudden tremble of the ground followed by a high-pitched scream paused the two fighters. Nodding to each other they ran toward the mansion, but were halted by Wendy who barreled into them. Carla glided to the ground, and they helped Wendy up.

"Wendy!"

"L-Lucy-san," Wendy gasped, "i-is…"

A second shockwave threw them off their feet and they landed in a heap on the ground.

"In there," Wendy pointed behind them.

Natsu felt the world slip from under him again. He swallowed the panic that had begun to rise, "There's nothing there, Wendy."

Her scent had disappeared as well. Only a faint smell of roses tinted with sweat remained; the only evidence that the house – Lucy – had been there just a moment ago.

He let out a gut-wrenching roar in frustration and despair as his mate was taken from him. He had promised Sting he would take care of her. He was supposed to take care of her, dammit.

"GODDAMIT."

They should have listened to Gray and left before setting foot in the mansion. It had been of ill-taste; they should have trusted his gut. It was too late now. Now the world was spinning.

"Come on, Wendy," Lucy guided Wendy toward the mansion, "let's the idiots fight."

Wendy casted a look behind them in concern, "Are you sure, Lucy-san?"

Lucy smiled, "The tension has been rolling off these guys ever since we step inside the guild. Let them work it out."

Wendy forced a smile, unable to tell Lucy that she was the reason for their argument, and followed her.

"Guys," Lucy called, "Wendy, Carla, and I are going ahead."

The doors creaked open as they neared them; they made eye-contact. _How weird._

A booming voice startled them, "Welcome, ladies from Fairy Tail," it said as it echoed around them.

"Hello," Lucy answered – her voice sounding frail and immensely feminine compared to the voice's deep tone.

"I apologize for not greeting you at the door. As you know, I'm bedridden. Please make your way to the room on your left."

Wendy narrowed her eyes, _strange. For such a huge estate there hardly seems to be any servants around._ She tugged at Lucy's hand; her eyes conveying the warning. Lucy nodded in understanding and they began to inch their way back towards the doors.

That's when the ground split open.

Wendy felt the air leave her as they fell but then felt the familiar tug of Carla's hands on her back. Lucy had clasped onto her leg.

Lucy's determined eyes met hers, "Wendy, go get Natsu and Gray."

Her body went cold at the implication of her statement, "No, Carla can fl—"

"I believe in you guys," and Lucy let go. Her tears flying upwards as her body disappeared in the dark abyss.

"Lucy-san!" Wendy screamed, scrambling to go after her but Carla held on tight and flew her out.

She was supposed to stay with Lucy and now Lucy was gone – sucked into the endless void that no longer existed. The three mages and two exceeds had dug desperately but the ground was solid – no signs of a hole existed.

"What do we do now, Natsu-san?"

"We find her."

Everything had faded to black but Lucy was still alive. She could hear the firm thump of her heart in her ears, feel the blood pulsating under her skin, her clothes clinging to her perspiring body. She was alive, alright. She just had no idea where she was, rather where she was headed; she could feel the steady movement of the carriage.

_Natsu, Happy, Gray, Wendy, Carla, please be safe._

**_End of Chapter 8_**

**Hi, guys. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I enjoyed reading them!**

**Sorry this chapter isn't as long as the previous ones. It just ended up being this way. I didn't plan to leave it like this too but it happened. There will be a time skip BTW. The next chapter will be more action-packed! (I hope) This is the start of the ending (I HOPE. WATCH IT CHANGE AGAIN AND I WRITE 1O MORE CHAPTERS THAN I ORIGINALLY INTENDED LOL). Sting will be coming back soon? Don't worry!**

**I leave you a song I hummed while writing this chapter:**

**"****_A little bit of Nalu in my life, A little bit of Graylu is all I need, A little bit of Stinglu makes this yo day."_**

**P.S- Gray is such a closet nerd! I love him.**

**As always, thanks for reading! See you in about two weeks?**


	9. Chapter 9 : The Colosseum

**_ The Colosseum_**

_::Time Skip:: 1 Year Later_

The crowd's leering eyes and jeers infuriated her and she used that to her advantage – fueling her magic power with anger. She stood in the middle of the circular area of the Colosseum; the marble structure styled after ancient architecture. She kicked up a dust tornado with a mindless flick of her foot and looked at her opponent. It was a pretty brunette with six-inch heels with straps that swirled around her legs up to her knees. She was dress in black shorts and a white T-shirt which completely threw off the whole heels style.

A cruel smile stretched her full lips; she was going to have fun ripping her apart. In a blink of an eye, she was behind the girl and was gearing up for a kick but was pushed back by a force. _Oh? What curious technique. _The girl had manifested a shield at the last second and had the magic particles surrounding it pulse outward, pushing her away.

This time she laughed, "You're interesting. I'll show you my magic since you showed me yours."

"Lady of the Maiden, Virgo," but instead of the celestial spirit appearing, she was equipped with a maid outfit and her hair tied in two high ponytails, "outfit," she finished. She ignored the renewed cheers.

The brunette took a step back, analyzing her. She hoped she survived; she liked her. It would make matches more exciting if she got to fight her again. She made the exact same move but at the last second dove underground and pulled the girl's legs down. Her yelp of surprise earned yet another round of chants. _How disgusting._

She came above ground and cradled the brunette; her hand traveled slowly down the brunette's thigh, she leaned close to her ear, "Wicked heels," and snap her ankle.

Her shout of pain pleased her and the crowd, and she blasted her with yet another wave of magic. She stood up, leaning on her right leg and stared her down.

She let out a breath of disappointment, _no good either, huh? _She ended the match earlier than expected by running her hand through the girl's chest. She dropped her cooling body to the ground and walked off the field – ignoring the complaints of the bastards.

She had planned on letting the girl live but the look in her eyes had stopped her. They had sparkled with hidden tears and pleaded with her own. _Kill me._

A figured leaned in the shadows, his muscles rippling as he stretched and joined her, "That was merciful of you, Heart-_chan._"

"There was nothing merciful about it. She was going to die of my hands anyhow; it just happened to be today." She answered smoothly at the question

"I would have liked a taste of her blood."

"Anyone who can't win their initiation battle isn't worth your time."

"I suppose your right," he sighed, "but you hardly ever let your opponents live!"

"That's the point," she entered the dimly light hallway

"Hey, how about you let me have some of _your _blood?"

Her heart picked up speed but she forced herself to remain at the same pace, "Drink it off your next opponent."

He swung in front of her, blocking her way, "Come on, Filia." A faint red shadow haunted his brown eyes, and she found her resolve crumbling, "No, Jace."

"_Filia_." He had taken ahold of her hands, and was now using his special ability – the damn puppy-dog eyes. She gave it another thought; she wanted to remember her life before arriving and the mysterious red scales that adorned her neck, but she also didn't want to. There was no chance of escaping any time soon and it would only torture her to know she had _had _a life.

"Okay."

Their clothes were discarded on the floor and they were on her bed. Their sweating figures were curled up together; their hands intertwined. He let go of her hand and played with her red hair. She snuggled closer to him. As much as she denied him, she still liked his touch very much.

She was going to have his bite mark on her left side of her neck for another two weeks. He always seemed to be more insistent whenever it began fading. It kept the others from her, not that she minded, but it also was a symbol of a level of intimacy she wasn't ready to fully commit to. She was frightened of letting herself go with him. He could be ripped from her and she didn't want to get hurt.

"Filia," he mumbled into her ear, "up for round two?"

She huffed and didn't answer. "Little filly," his hands made his way to her abdomen, "what's wrong?"

His hands assaulted her sides, tickling her until she was crying from laughter, "S-stop, Jay."

He squeezed her into a tight hug, "Smiling suits you much better." _Than the stoic mask you always wear._

"Hey, Jay," she clutched his arms, "do you think we will ever get out?"

He was silent for a long time but ultimately answered with a sad note playing his baritone voice, "I would sure hope so. I'll buy you the grandest cottage in the land and we'll live together until we die of old age."

Instead of answering she turned her head and gave him a light peck, "When's your match?"

"I still have two hours left."

"Win."

He grinned at her, "Of course."

She stared at him – taking in his features. She did this every time he had a match, never knowing when it would be the last time she would see him. He had told her he had once had white hair, green eyes and tanned skin. She had scoffed at the idea at first, but Brandon, his childhood friend, had confirmed it. Slash had nodded too. Now Jace was the opposite – dark brown eyes, dark hair, and pale skin. She didn't want to think of the reason for the drastic change; it hurt.

"Who are you fighting?" She asked, shifting in bed to face him.

"They haven't told me."

"If you get Al," Filia murmured, "I'll kick your ass for taking my target."

His chest rumbled as he laughed, "It'll be my pleasure to fight you."

She smiled. That was what she appreciated about him, what drew her to him. He had treated her as an equal. She was not as powerful as him but he took her seriously. He had also been the first to approach her and guide her when she first arrived at the Colosseum. That's what they called it.

The Colosseum was the Underworld's favorite sport. She hadn't quite believed him when she first arrived, but after her first match she had believed him. The strange attire and creatures that howled with bloodlust had been more than enough to convince her. She was stuck in the Underworld without a clue as to who she had been except for the insignia on her hand; it was a pink flame looking-thing. She was rather fond of it – her own personal angel.

* * *

Filia stood in the shadows as Jace had previously done as she watched him walk out to the middle of the ring. The crowd was going wild; Jace was a favorite, not to mention one of the strongest fighters in the Colosseum. She admired his easy-going stance; he always could block out his emotions so well.

His grotesque scars on his back were in plain view today; he had been too lazy to put on a shirt so he stood in the center of the goggling crowd, cracking his neck, with nothing on but his baggy sweats.

Lucy still remembered the first time she had seen them. It had been the day Slash had lost his tongue and Brandon had almost lost an eye. She shuddered in fear and anger as she recalled how the masked man had held Slash's tongue in his greasy tongue and cut it out. Slash's animalistic and guttural sounds of immeasurable pain haunted her to this day. Brandon has never been able to forgive himself for it and Jace's face sported a new scar on his right cheek ever since.

She had come out unscathed solely because she had been a rookie and it would have decreased her value at the time. It was safe to say now that the more scars she acquired the more the bastards love her. She had none as severe as her friends, but her previous unmarred body was now crisscrossed with echoes of past battles.

The only one she was proud of was the slender nick in her right eyebrow that Jace had gotten her with his sword. It had been the first sparring match she had been able to land a blow on him.

She focused on the battle in front of her; Jace was battling it out against the Earl. The Earl was fairly competent as well and it would last a while so Filia sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest. Jace had reequipped and was wearing armor that could withstand the blue-haired devil's flames. Something about their magic always tugged at something in her mind but she never tried too hard to remember.

Jace had told her that when he drank from her he could seal memories for as long as his magic coursed through her and she let him. It was easier for her to accept her life at the Colosseum if she only had memories of being there. If she knew nothing of her past life, then there was nothing to be mourned. It only made sense.

Brandon sat down next to her, mimicking her sitting position, "Hey."

"Hey." She responded, taking her eyes off the battle to glance at him, "How did your battle go?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" He didn't look at her.

"I heard it was a young girl."

"Yeah, so what? I was thirteen when I was brought here." He snapped

She placed an arm around him, bringing him in closer. He was older than her, but she had grown to love him very much. He was hot-tempered and didn't know how to express his feelings properly but once someone got to know him, they'd be able to read him as clear as day.

"She was ten." He whispered, burying his head into his arms, "I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it."

"You did what you had to do."

Tremors shook his body and Filia changed her position so she could embrace him fully. She didn't have any words of comfort that could heal this emotional scar. It was a terrible thing to have done; no one should be forced to do such a thing. By this time, there was hardly anything that could be said to one another that could heal their wounds. All they had was each other.

"I did it quickly. She had loads of magic power. She would have been such an amazing mage, but I had to. She," his voice choked, "looked at me and said 'please.'"

Filia rubbed his back, encouraging him to go on, "The whipper, he didn't miss that. He was already headed down. I s-snapped her neck."

"Come on," Filia helped him up, briefly looking back at Jace who was in the midst of pounding the Earl's pride and joy – his face, "You need to rest."

* * *

Jace arrived a few minutes after Brandon had fallen asleep; he raised his eyebrow. Filia shook her head, her red tresses swinging side to side, and they made their way to her room.

"How was he?"

"Just as you'd expect to be after killing someone half his age."

"You'd think we'd know how far they would stoop but they surprise us every time." Jace said, his voice low for only her to hear

"I'll take care of him during the night," She replied. He bumped his forehead against hers, and smiled his gratitude, "Thanks, Filly."

"I have a first name, you know." She looked away, pouting.

He scratched his chin, "Hmm, what was it? L—"

"Lucy! It's Lucy!" She hit his chest, pretending to be angry.

"You only like to be called Lucy when we're," his eyes roamed her body, teasing her, "intimate."

Her eyes widen, "That's not the only time, stupid!"

He laughed and gave her a kiss, "Good night."

"It's only seven in the evening, idiot!" She screamed after him as he walked to his own room, still burning from embarrassment.

She hadn't asked him about the outcome; it was obvious. The Earl had fallen. Jace hadn't killed him though. The curtains from the balcony had hung yellow. Yellow meant that neither warrior was allowed to kill the other. If they had been red, then one would have died. Yellow only hung for favorites and the top of the warriors. Filia, however, was still a red. She was loved but she yet had to defeat one of the top ten and reach eighteen months of servitude.

All three of her friends – Slash, Brandon, and Jace – were in the clear. There was still a danger of pulling a red curtain match; the whims of the Emperor were unpredictable. This was not an ideal life by a long shot, but it was a _life_. As long as she had all three of them with her, she would be fine.

* * *

**Read on for Chapter 9 PT. 2: Sting's Entrance**


	10. Chapter 10 (Actually, Chap 9 PT 2)

Filia stared at the wall, unsure if she was seeing correctly. She had drawn a yellow curtain and against a newbie at that? Moving through the crowd of men, she ran towards Slash's room where she knew everyone would be. She burst into the room, "I have a yellow curtain against a newbie!"

Brandon looked up from his book, "Yellow curtain?"

Jace had been moving a pawn but paused at her sudden appearance, "Newbie?"

Slash just cocked his head to the side, his long white hair covering his eyes.

"Do you think it's real?" She took a seat at the end of the couch, placing Brandon's feet on her lap. She didn't miss the blush that painted his cheeks but she didn't point it out.

"If it's a newbie, then probably. They rarely do this unless it's one with great potential that can bring in loads of money in the future." Jace answered, returning to his game of chess versus Slash.

Filia looked at Slash who nodded in agreement.

"Our baby Filly finally drew her first yellow curtain!" Brandon teased, but the relief shone in his eyes.

"Oh, shove a sock down your throat, Brandon." Filia slapped his feet

"Ow! Fine, I guess you're just a grown Filly, now."

"She's been a grown filly," Jace laughed, "obviously, you haven't been in-between her sheets. Which is good, because I would have killed you if you had."

Both Filia and Brandon turned red as their hair, "JACE DREAGER. YOU," Filia stood up, "JUST DON'T SAY," she marched her way over to him, "THOSE THINGS AS YOU PLEASE."

Jace looked up at the fuming Filia, his timid side suddenly appearing, "Filly, I was—"

Filia was angry; she hated sexualizing jokes like that coming from Jace – or Brandon or Slash, who couldn't really that anymore. She had enough of that from the audience and customers. She didn't need any from them, especially him.

"Just when I was praising you for respecting me," she snapped, "and by the way, I can have sex with whomever I want, because as far as I know, as of right now, I am single. Get blood from some other hoar, vampy-boy."

She left the room in a flurry of angry footsteps, only pausing to hear Brandon say, "Guess I can get in-between her sheets like you said, now," and sending a book flying at his head, "Not the time for jokes, Brandon."

She paced around her room, her sneakers squeaking each time she turned, "Maybe I overreacted a bit."

Filia made her way to her closet, "No, I didn't. They know I don't like jokes like those," she mumbled picking out her outfit for the day's match.

"But you broke up with Jace over it," she argued back, donning on a cropped white T-Shirt.

She struggled putting on her black tights, almost tripping over them and then slid on her jean shorts.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting some respect!" She yelled in frustration when she noticed she was wearing her casual clothes, "Dammit, DREAGER."

In the end she decided to keep them on; it was a yellow match. There was no need for her to wear her traditional dress. Plus, she was counting on the fact that the audience would love the change in her style.

And love it they did. She waved at them, hoping to shut them up faster, but they were wild. Alright, no more casual clothes then.

She waited at the middle, kicking her feet in boredom and didn't bother to look up when her opponent entered.

* * *

He had been prepared to find her, to see her after so long but her scent, although changed, froze him on the spot. Memories of her sprung tears in his eyes but he wiped them away; Sting Eucliffe did not cry. At least not here.

When the great doors opened to let him in, he hid his surprise at her appearance. Her traditional blonde locks were gone, replaced with a flaming red mane. Her style had also changed; she wore leather boots with tights, shorts and a white T-shirt. He could have thrown himself on the floor and cried of happiness; instead, he approached her.

He wanted to take her entire appearance in, inspect every aspect of her new scent, hold her, talk to her, hear her voice, everything. His hand twitched, begging to go to her, hug her and scream, "I found you, Lucy," but her eyes held no recognition, blindly staring at his face without a hint of the Lucy he knew. A closer inspection of her scent told him Natsu's mark was still embedded on her neck. Her memories must still be suppressed. The thought relieved and disappointed him. He crinkled his nose; there was another scent. It was of a male; a trace of his magic coursed through her. Could he be the one suppressing the memories? He wondered and bristled with jealousy at the thought of another male touching her but he calmed down. Lucy didn't belong to him; she could do as she pleased.

He visibly jumped at the sound of her voice – calm, collected, cold, "It's a yellow curtain."

A meager, "Yeah," was all he managed to say. How could he fight her?_ Sting, she's survived an entire year here already, she's not weak_. And boy, was he right.

She charged, aiming for his abdomen; he dodged them with relative ease and retaliated with his own punches. She caught his wrist and threw him to the dusty floor as if he were a dummy she was practicing with. Fuck. She's strong.

The world was spinning and Sting's breath caught as she brought her face close, brushing her nose against his, "I won't lose – yellow curtain or not," her warm breath sending a shiver down his back. She dug her boot's heel into his stomach, and he smirked, "I won't lose either, blondie." Shit. She's not blonde anymore. She scrunched her face, confusion and fear flickering in her eyes. He reached up to her, but instead of hugging her close like he ached to do, he threw her off.

"The Lion, Leo," she chanted, glowing, "outfit."

She wore a form-fitting suit; her hair tied in a ponytail._ She'd make a damn fine lawyer._ Sting was distracted; he couldn't fight fully against her even though she was dominating him at the moment.

"Sorry, Luce." He whispered, and released his dragon force, earning him an "Ooh" from the crowd.

She surprisingly kept up with his speed, but he ended it with a blow to her abdomen, "Light Dragon's claw."

"Fuck." She whispered and slammed into the wall

It took everything he had to not run and fuss over her while apologizing a million times. Every hit he had landed had hurt his heart; she was still his one and only. He strolled off the arena, towards the tunnel opposite of the one he had entered from. A man stood in the shadows, "Welcome to the Colosseum."

Sting grunted in reply; raising an eyebrow at his smell, but tucking the information in an alcove of his mind. He already hated this shithole – forcing him to fight Lucy. She'd gotten stronger and she hadn't fought all the way either. I guess yellow curtains put fighters at ease here.

He should have taken the other tunnel, but turning his back on Lucy had seemed wrong. He was scared of turning his back and her disappearing again. It was a long walk back to his quarters. He had infiltrated the Colosseum for her. It had been a long-shot but after dealing with Tartaros they had confirmation that Lucy was indeed in the Underworld. He had spent three months in preparation for his transfer to the Colosseum and he hadn't thought his first match would have been against her. _Well, this makes things easier, I guess._

Lucy would now approach him for a rematch. He smirked; this wasn't the Lucy he had fallen in love with but he'd already been fucked over thrice and he wasn't going to let her go.

* * *

Filia had dragged herself up from her humiliating position by the wall; that had been the first official match she had lost. Jace, Brandon, and Slash were waiting for her in the tunnel and walked, in silence, to her room.

They stopped halfway; Filia knew this presence. She ran the rest of the way and whipped the door opened. She bared her teeth at him, "_You._"

She paid no mind to the frilly decorations that dotted her bare room with splashes of color, and made to hit the man sitting on her bed.

He turned and she stopped in her tracks, "Ah, Lucy. I never," he scooped some of the red petals off her bed, "you had such," he eyed the decorations with mild disgust, "dreadful taste."

"Damn, harsh." Brandon strolled in followed by Slash and Jace who scratched the back of his head, saying sheepishly, "We've never been good with color coordination."

Brandon yelled at Jace, "Why are you lumping me with you two?!"

"You're the one who said we should surprise her!" Jace yelled back to which Brandon responded with a punch to the shoulder, "You did a lousy job."

"Shut up." Filia growled at the trio, nodding apologetically at Slash who raised his hands, No offense taken.

"As fiery as always, Lucy." He caught a strand of her hair in his pale hands, rubbing it between his fingers.

She spat at him, feeling proud that it landed on his cheek. His bright green eyes darkened and in an instant she had been slapped and thrown across the room. Jace and the others simmered with anger; he had them paralyzed so they gritted their teeth in helplessness.

He crushed the petals and let them fall off his hand; he stood up. She raised her head in defiance; staring him down as he crouched in front of her. His red vest crinkled slightly as he leaned in to caress her face, "Remember who you belong to. I do," he ran his thumb across her lips, "decide the matches."

"Fuck yourself."

A sharp pain pierced her head and she whimpered, "I do hope you know what you have done," he tutted and disappeared.

"Filia!" the three ran to her

"I'm fine," She waved them off.

Why had he come? He never came unless he was playing.

"He's playing his games again." Jace stated

"He's the Emperor. He has to find a way to keep himself entertained." Brandon shrugged, flopping down on Filia's bed.

"There's nothing good that has ever came from one of his visits. Be careful." She pushed Brandon to the other side, and sat down, "So, what was this all about," she gestured at the pitifully decorated room.

Brandon and Filia stood at the entrance of the arena, dread emanating from both of them, unable to process the scene before them. The Emperor never made any unnecessary visits.

Jace clutched Slash's heart in his outstretched palm; his best friend's limp body held up by his other arm. His whole figure tremble, from exertion, from pain. Both Brandon and Filia ran onto the field, uncaring about the rules, "Slash!"

It had been a red curtain match.

One had to die.

Slash had been slain by Jace.

She had defied the Emperor too many times and her friend had been taken away from them.

**End of Chapter 9**

* * *

**_Double update this time! The story has certainly taken a turn! With new OCs and setting, the story has begun to head towards it end. Yes! Sting has finally returned! Sorry, it wasn't the reunion many were looking forward to. It'll get there one day. Lucy(Filia) doesn't have her memories of him nor of Fairy Tail at the moment so it's to be expected._**

**_I know this is such a drastic change in the story, but I hope you'll grow to love it as it develops into its finished product. How'd we even get here?_**

**_Leave me your thoughts, please?_**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_P.S- I'm sorry for the change in Lucy's language. ;-; She's different now._**


	11. Chapter 11 (More like 10)

**Chapter 10**

There was no funeral for Slash; his body had been forcefully taken from their arms and they had been thrown in isolation. They had gotten off with a light punishment because the crowd had loved their reactions.

_Sick bastards._

Filia stared at the white ceiling, listening to Brandon's wails in the adjacent room. She hadn't shed a tear since she had arrived, but now the tears flowed freely. She winced in pain as she turned her head to the side; she had lost track of day and night, but she suspected they had been in isolation for almost two weeks. _This is not good. _Her locked memories had begun to trickle in, adding a heavier emotional blow to her already weakened mind.

**_Flashback_**

_She had been taken to a dingy building reeking of alcohol and tobacco. She whimpered in pain as the man kicked her inside a room; the shackles extra weight propelling her forward to the ground. She didn't bother to raise her head; she had beaten enough by now to know her actions no longer belong to her. She was furious. It was humiliating to be treated as a dog, but her anger would do her no good in this situation. It only allowed her to keep moving forward until Natsu and them found her and beat the octopus-man who had taken her to a pulp._

_Octopus-man sat in the desk in the room, casually taking in her appearance. Dirty, but well-fed. His voice was sickly sweet, "Ah, Lucy. It seems your luck has turned."_

_She continued to stare at the old rug, "You have been bought."_

_'A person can't be bought, stupid!' she thought._

_"After the countless hours and money that I have spent on you, you finally have paid it all back," he continued, his deep voice infuriating her even more – everything about him irritated her._

_"You will go to the Colosseum. It is an honor. You should thank me. I have given meaning to your worthless life. Well, I guess it wasn't worthless at the end, right, Lucy?"_

_Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. She despised the way he said it. She hated the name; it had been stained by the countless dirty mouths that had uttered it in the past three months._

_"Thank you." She responded automatically, hating herself for being weak in front of him._

_It had been Octopus-man (she didn't know his name so she had given him a nickname) who had kidnapped her from Fiore, from her friends, from Natsu._

_She had been taken to his real estate where he had "broken her in." All her tears had been dried up since that day; there was no sadness, no despair, only emptiness filled with hatred. The Octopus-man had then proceeded to push her magical abilities to their breaking point and used her as a prostitute to sell her off to his other friends._

_Her memories of Fairy Tail seemed so distant and felt like they might be from another life. They didn't seem to belong to her anymore. She didn't feel like Lucy Heartfilia; she had forgotten how she was. She had forgotten who she was._

_"Well, I almost didn't want to let you go," Octopus-man sighed, "you did bring in quite a revenue, but the money offered for you was too much to resist."_

_Oh, how she wished she could tear him apart and reassemble him and tear him apart again. His blood on her hands would be the only redemption she got._

_"Yes, yes, well, Adros will be taking you now."_

_She felt herself being dragged out of the room; she looked up. She wanted to memorize the bastard's face. She felt her mouth form the words, "I'll kill you."_

_Octopus-man blinked and threw his head, laughing, "If you survive the Colosseum," and waved his hand at Adros, dismissing them._

**End of Flashback**

She stared at the symbol on her hand, "Fairy Tail." She had _had _a family out there and she had selfishly chosen to forget about them. _I'm sorry._ What expression would they make if they saw her now with her scarred body and red hair? Would they still embrace her and call her "Lucy?"

"Lucy." It rolled off her tongue as if a foreign word. It was true that Filia preferred to be called Lucy during intercourse with Jace but she hadn't known the exact reason why until now. She had subconsciously been trying to heal the scar inside her with Jace's voice. Unlike the others, he had called her name with love, passion and kindness. She had been trying to cleanse her name with his tongue.

"It didn't work," she muttered, feeling the dirty hands of the men she had been forced to be with crawling all over her body and a fresh batch of tears rolled down her face, "I don't want to remember anymore."

**{{JACE'S POV}}**

"How'd you find us?" Jace asked the metal door in front of him

"Never underestimate a Dragonslayer's nose." A muffled voice answered

Jace stood up and inched towards the door, "What do you want?"

"Just wondering how you're doing."

Jace rolled his eyes at the blatant lie, "If that was the reason for your presence here, you'd be asking Filia, not me."

A moment of silence then, "Alright. Lying has never been my strongpoint anyway."

Jace was in front of the door now, "So, what do you want?"

"Well, I have two questions, really."

"About Filia?"

His voice was irritated, "How do you know?!"

Jace snickered, "I watched your battle. I saw the look in your eyes and the smell given off by you. Never underestimate the nose of a vampire, either, boy."

"Watcha' calling me a boy for?!"

"The guards change in twenty minutes, do you really want to argue about this?"

He paused, "No. I want to know what happened to Luc- Filia."

Jace sighed and he slid to the floor, "Take a seat. This is going to be a bit long."

**_Flashback_**

_There were new recruits; he eyed them with faint interest._

_"Oh? You're sizing up the newbies?" Brandon raised an eyebrow, "You've never done that."_

_"It's the blonde."_

_Jace nodded at Slash, who – as always – understood his actions._

_"The blonde's smell is weird." Jace mumbled_

_Brandon shrugged, "Vampires."_

_As a vampire Jace's senses were sharpened and his sense of smell was particularly strong. The blonde stood apart from the others, head bowed low but he could feel her immense magical power. She would survive; she was a fighter._

_He watched her with fervid attentiveness; her blows precise and sharp. She wasted no time disposing of her opponent – snapping his neck back and walking off the field. Her scent wafted towards him, mix of three people in one, rather it was magic – not people. He could smell a dragon's scent within her and another that seemed to have no purpose…_

_"Welcome to the Colosseum." He smiled, extending a hand towards her_

_She watched him from the corner of her eyes, and kept walking. He strode after her, "I don't mean anything by that. I was just extending my greetings along with my hand, you know."_

_She kept a firm two feet between them, walking at a brisk pace._

_Jace tried again, "I'm Jace. I can show you the ropes around here."_

_"And I'm not interested."_

_"Are you that conceited that you'd believe I'm interested in you?"_

_She stopped abruptly and he stumbled, "Are you not?"_

_Jace felt the corners of his mouth twitch, "I am, but not in the way you're assuming."_

_She had her hands on her hips and she seemed to consider his words before nodding and telling him, "fine."_

Jace stopped in the middle of recounting his meeting with Filia, no, Lucy, and banged the back of his head against the door, a hollow echo ensued after the contact.

"You see, Sting," Jace started, "for the first couple of weeks she had been fine on her own. Then one day, something happened. I still don't know what caused it, but it triggered a memory that began to attack the mark on her neck."

"Are you talking about Natsu's mark?"

"Yes," Jace struggled with the right words, "she was in a coma."

Sting felt the hands of panic clutching at his throat, but he relaxed. Lucy was fine now. She was still alive.

"Things weren't looking well for her. She could have made it through it, if we had allowed her to go through the process, but she had to fight. There was no choice; I bit her and suppressed the memories."

That's right; Lucy was stronger. She was capable of handling it now. His heart began to race as he thought of the endless possibilities of _truly _reuniting with her. His ears twitched; he could hear the faint footsteps of the new guards coming on and made to leave, but Jace's voice stopped him, "Wait, there's something else I want to tell you."

He risked a glance down both sides of the hallway and agreed, "What is it?"

"You need to free her because I am going to die."

* * *

**Quick A/N:**

**Sorry for being MIA. I was having laptop issues(As in, it DIED as I was about to upload this), but thank my dear old friend _Alex_ for letting me borrow his charger and bringing my laptop to life. Next chapter will uploaded ASAP. Hope this explains _some _things for you, if not let me know again and I'll upload an extra Q&amp;A chapter for you guys. Yes, I changed my name from Fanfic Addict to KJ Dreams. **


	12. Chapter 12 (11)

Her breaths were heavy and filled the room's silence; she had stripped down to her undergarments, heat radiating from her body. She needed a bath – a bath full of ice. _Ice…Ice…G-Gray? _Yes, there had been a man named Gray. Her lips parted as she let out a shaky breath. Her neck throbbed and her head felt as if someone was driving a nail through her skull.

There was someone else. Someone else who was very important to her.

_Light…Yellow. Yellow. Cat…_Her mind was hazy, blurring and preventing her from remembering. Was this what Jace had told her about? Was this what she had been warned about?

There was a loud banging on her door, "EY, FILIA. GET UP NOW."

Brandon had gone quiet; she steadied her breathing and sat up, cringing at the sudden movement. She dressed herself as quickly as she could, "NOW, FILIA."

And with unwieldy steps she made her way to the door, "Okay."

"Filia? Filia, don't go!" Brandon screamed

Familiar sharp red eyes looked at Filia through the mask covering the guard's face. _Oh, so it was him. _Out of all the despicable guards, this one had treated her with a hint of respect.

The other guard kicked Brandon's cell yelling, "Shut up," and Red-eyed guard pushed Filia in front of him.

It was a long-shot asking him, but she risked it, "Where are we going?"

"You have a match."

She could feel the weariness weighing her down, but she let out a sigh, "Against?"

Life could not be crueler, could it? The Emperor's traditional smirk was plastered on his lips at ease as he lounged on his chair next to the _red _curtain. He drew his fingers across it and winked at Filia.

His usual cocky smile flashed at her, but the dark circles under his eyes revealed how tired he was, "Heart-chan, you look dreadful."

"Back at you, Jay." She whispered, curling her hands into fists.

She hadn't known a heart could be broken so many times and still function. _This is why I never wanted to become attached._

"Well, I guess there's no use with stalling it anymore, huh?" Jace sighed, stretching as he made his way towards her.

Filia couldn't win against him, but he couldn't kill her either. Jace was going to die by her hands today.

**_Flashback_**

_Filia ran her fingers across the table's smooth surface, watching Jace play chess against Slash._

_"Hey, Jace." She started_

_He grunted in response, "Are you scared of dying?"_

_Both Slash and him paused and Jace took a moment to respond, "Not really, filly."_

_"Why," she asked, settling her head on her arms and leaning on the black table, "is that?"_

_He placed a pawn down before answering her, "I guess it's because I'll be able to be free."_

_"Free?"_

_"Free."_

They were a blur of red and black; the crowd's eyes straining to keep up with their speed. Filia gritted her teeth, angry. Jace was holding back on her. She wasn't an idiot; she knew she was sick and couldn't dare keep up with him at his best, but this was not the way she wanted it to be.

"Jace," she hissed between blows.

Jace glanced at her pale face; the strain clearly visible in her dark eyes. There was so much he hadn't been able to tell her. He figured Sting had had more than enough time to complete his part of the plan. _Well, enough is enough. _He stepped into her blow, her gasp of horror confused by the crowd as a gasp of triumph. Her hand was imbedded inside him; almost reaching his heart. He leaned close to her and brought his mouth close to her ear despite the pain from his chest, "Be free, Lucy."

Then a brilliant light erupted followed by a cloud of smoke and a shrill shriek.

Filia felt herself pulled from Jace into a solid chest. She didn't have to turn to know who it was; it was Sting Eucliffe. She remembered him…from battle, but there was something else tugging at her mind, her memories.

"Luce, we have to go, now." He yelled in her ear.

_Go where? _There was nothing else for her, but she followed him anyway. Without Slash...without J-Jace she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

_Wait._ She couldn't leave without one person, "Wait! Brandon!"

"I'm right here, Filia."

She exhaled in relief and guilt. _Be free, Lucy._

"Let's go," they said in unison, each grabbing ahold of one of her hands

"Right."

She didn't have time to grieve just yet. They had to make it out before the Emperor found them. She had no right to cry...at least not now, not here. Brandon's silent tears confirmed what she had done, but his tight grip on her wrist told her of his love for her hadn't disappeared. He didn't blame her.

Her legs were burning and pressure crushed her chest, but she kept running along the dark corridors underneath the Colosseum. It felt like they had been running for hours, but in reality it probably had only been a few minutes…a few minutes since… J-

No. She had to keep going. She had to kee—the world began to tilt as she started to crash towards the floor.

An arm shot out to catch her; and she felt herself being lifted onto a warm back. "The Emperor –" she started.

"Will be too busy with other matters to come after us himself," he answered her unspoken question.

String couldn't help but grin as he imagined the havoc Rogue and Team Natsu would be creating at the Colosseum just about now. Their priority was getting Lucy out alive, but if they could bring down the sick game, then so be it. Sting would have stayed behind and given them a piece of his mind, but there was no way he was going to let Lucy out of his sight.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her breath skimming his neck, causing goosebumps to rise

_Focus, Sting. Focus. _"We're going home."

Filia could only assume he meant Fairy Tail and instead of replying she wandered off in thought. Could she really face her old family the way she was now? She hardly felt ready to see them again. Her memories were still recovering and reminded her of quilt missing squares. Another bout of trembling caused her to clutch onto S-Sting's back. His name brought strange waves of pain that coursed through her body with every beat of her heart. The pain from the mark on her neck was spreading and fast. The blond male's presence seemed to have set it on turbo and Filia let out a weak groan in discomfort.

She began to slip in and out of conscious until finally she was dragged into an endless dream of forgotten memories.

* * *

**A/N :: _This was originally part of yesterday's chapter but it wasn't finished, so I split it up so I could update for you guys sooner. Sorry it's short. Well, as you can see, Lucy is starting to remember. It's not much of a spoiler, but the next chapter will be her remembering...EVERYTHING and then some. As for what name she chooses to stick with... /shrugs/ Yes, her hair is red right now...that will be explained later. Did these two chapters clear up the confusion a bit? Let me know! AND YES, I WILL HAVE SOME MAJOR FLUFF IN FUTURE CHAPTERS TO MAKE UP FOR THE LACK OF STINGLU ACTION. gods, I miss them together. In case you missed it, I changed my name from Fanfic Addict XD to KJ Dreams._**

**As always, thanks for reading! P.S- Check out my new fairy tail fanfic that I've started. It's called Scrapbook - Fairy Tail Academy. No set pairing for Lucy. It's humor/romance. YES. IT'S ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL AU. I love them.**


	13. Chapter 13 (12)

_**Quick Recap: Lucy is escaping the Colosseum along with Sting and Brandon while Team Natsu unleashes HELL (pun intended) in the Underworld keeping the Emperor busy... Her sickly state, induced by the mark, has finally reached its climax. This is a memory/dream warped together. Thanks for all your support and patience thus far. We are just wrapping up the story now.**_

* * *

Lucy crept into her room holding a frying pan in her free hand while the other clutched her towel – the thick fabric being the only thing keeping her bare skin warm and protected from the chilly air of her apartment. She frowned at the last part – her apartment chilly? No, she was certain it had been warm enough to want her take a nice refreshing bath at midnight. She had gotten undressed and was about to slip into the comforts of the pink bubbly bath when she had a sudden craving – to drink grape juice and read while soaking in the water. She'd gotten sick of wine from all the balls she had attended as the Heartfilia Heiress years ago. Grape juice was the next best thing according to her taste buds.

Being so late and lazy, she'd wrapped a towel around her busty body and headed to the kitchen. That's when she had heard the floorboards creaking. After grabbing a pan, she had stealthily made her way out into her room.

And that's how Lucy found herself straddling an-almost naked Gray on her floor with a crazed glint in her eyes as she threatened to pound him silly with the pan.

"Ouch! Lucy, it's me!" Gray grimaced, holding out an arm to shield his face in case she struck.

For a moment it seemed as if his words had gone in one ear and out the other – he let out a sigh of relief – but Lucy's eyes returned to their warm brown hue, "Gray?"

He shifted his arm into a wave, "Yo!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Lucy yelled, still not lowering the pan

"Lucy, as much as I'd like to tell you, the pan isn't exactly encouraging."

Grumbling about stupid strippers, she lowered her arm and waited for his explanation, "Well," he gulped, "I was at home."

"And?"

"Look, I was minding my own damn business in my apartment, heading to bed but when I crawled into the sheets an arm wrapped itself around my waist..." he trailed off, closing his eyes in a grimaced as if reliving the memory

Lucy groaned, "Juvia?" She made a mental note to scold Juvia later. If the blue-haired rain woman wanted a relationship with Gray she'd have to learn boundaries. Her odds weren't the best at the moment and Lucy felt a slight pang of sympathy as she thought of her own situation with Natsu.

Gray nodded, "I ran to the first place that came to mind."

This time, it seemed, Gray had a valid reason for being nearly naked other than just unconsciously stripping.

"Oh, and Lucy," Gray coughed, looking away, "could you...um..."

Lucy shrieked in a mix of horror and embarrassment.

* * *

Gray's finger dug into his left ear, "You're so loud."

Lucy clucked her tongue in response, refusing to look at Gray. She had been on top of Gray with nothing but a towel on. She had been about to beat him for being in boxers, but she had been in a towel. How hypocritical of her.

"Hey, Luce," Gray started, his tone suddenly serious.

"Mmm?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his raven-black hair, "DoyouthinkI'mbeingtooharshonJuvia?"

"Say it again –slowly."

"Do you think," he swallowed, "I'm being too harsh on Juvia?"

Lucy blinked and turned to face him on the couch at the mention of Juvia, "what?"

"I know it seems like I really dislike her, but it's not that. I dislike the way she acts when it comes to me."

Gray met her eyes – his eyes pleading for her to understand, "Juvia is ultimately a good person. I know that much. I just can't seem to find it in me to care for her more than a comrade...You just can't expect a person to fall in love with someone who..."

"Stalks you." Lucy finished for him and he nodded in relief. Lucy would always understand him.

Lucy twirled the pan in her hand, and continued, "Gray, no one is trying to force you to love her. That's for sure. Of course we sympathize with her at times, but we aren't saying, 'Gray, love her back.' You aren't obligated to love her back."

His eyes reflected the relief and gratitude like they always would when Gray decided he had enough and had to talk to someone about Juvia's antics.

"How's it going with Sting?"

"Mmm, I don—what did you say?" Lucy jumped at the realization and the sudden change in topic.

"Natsu?" Gray cocked his head to the side, eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"No, no. You said...," Lucy bit her lip, "said another name." _What name had he said?_

"Is there another guy you like?" Gray inquired, scooting just bit closer so their knees touched.

Lucy's eyes darted to their knees, and then flickered up to his dark blue eyes, "No."

"Liar."

She cringed; she had felt the insincere meaning behind the word as her mouth had formed it, but it had automatically spilled out of her as a defense. How was she to explain it to someone when she hardly knew what she, herself, was feeling?

"Does he happen to have beautiful eyes? Blue eyes that ensnare you in their stunning brilliance and depth?" Gray continued

Lucy stared in stunned silence at the currently sparkle-eyed Gray, "What is wrong with you?"

"With delicious abs on display through his great fashion sense?" He continued, not paying attention to Lucy's horrified reaction.

She choked on her response, unable to process his words for two main reasons. One, Gray would never in a million years describe anyone that way. Two, she could almost see who he was talking about.

"A smile so bright it radiated golden rays of sunshine," Gray was now singing the words, clutching at his heart dramatically, "His lips plump and tempting for the taking."

"Shut the fuck up," Lucy growled, filled with sudden aggression. _Since when did she curse?_

Gray fell back onto the couch, quieted down for the moment, "Now, what are you talking about?"

He smirked, "I'd like to know that as well. I was reciting some lines from your diary."

**WHAM.**

Lucy threw the pan at him without a second thought.

Gray rubbed his forehead, holding one of his hands up, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I deserved that, but I think it's about damn time you woke up."

Unable to make sense of his statement, she answered, "I'm awake."

"No, you aren't, idiot." Gray flicked her forehead, playfully, "You're forgetting something, remember?"

"Obviously, I can't if I'm forgetting it!" Lucy quipped, frustrated.

"To think you'd forget me." A new voice entered their conversation

"Wh—?" Lucy gaped at Natsu

"Yo, Lucy!" He raised his hand in greeting and gave her a toothy grin. He glared at Gray, "What's stripper doing here?"

"Get the hell out of here, Natsu. She doesn't love you."

"Gray, you can't decide that for me!" She slapped his shoulder, but she somehow knew he was right.

"I know," Natsu mumbled, surprising both of them.

"Then why are you here?!" Gray snapped

"Because she has my mark! Obviously, I would be here whether you like it or not," Natsu retorted and he added, "stupid stripper," as a final thought.

As they bickered like children, Lucy's head began to throb, "G-Gray...Natsu..."

Her vision became blurry and their figures merged together, "It's okay, Lucy. You'll be fine. You're going to be better than fine."

That's when the first memory of him hit; it ripped a scream from her throat that suddenly felt raw and dry. She had seen him during the GMG. His rippling muscles clearly seen through his clothes...

The scene changed to a public bathhouse. She was frozen as she watched him take another woman in front of her.

That's when the feelings arose – the raging passion filled with lust that turned to warm, bubbling feelings in the pit of her stomach when they walked side by side at the festival.

Her determination to have him mark her only to have him reject her because her heart wasn't his entirely.

Her running toward him, wanting to save him from Natsu's uncontrollable beast only to black out as the wrong fangs bit into her.

And that was it.

But she had finally remembered.

She had remembered Sting Eucliffe.

She had remembered the blossoming love they had begun to share.

And she cried. She cried for everything she had lost and everything she had wanted.

And then the only voice she had been aching to hear for so long in the corners of her mind rung in her ears, "Lucy," and she knew everything would be okay.

* * *

**A/N: Has it really been two weeks? It didn't feel like two weeks. I'm sorry this is another filler chapter pushing things to the end. FINALLY. NEXT CHAPTER: STING AND LUCY REUNITE (WITH MEMORIES INTACT) !**

**Thanks for reading and for all your support!**

**Bonus chapter(s) at the end for all I have put you guys through!D: Both Mature and Fluff Chapters for those who have different preferences. I start school this Monday so my writing will be inconsistent but I will try my best to finish it up soon. I'm sorry. Thanks, again.**

**P.S- Did you guys notice the merging of Lucy and Filia? Sorry, I just wanted Lucy to have more fight in her (not that she didn't before, but I wanted her even more strong-willed and sassy).**

**P.S.S- I am working on my stories for Graylu week starting this September 1st! Keep an eye out for that!**


	14. Chapter 14 (13)

_**Quick Recap since it's been so long:**__** Sting, Lucy, and Brandon escaped the Colosseum. Lucy has been in a coma, fighting off Natsu's Mark (will be explained later on).**_

Hours stretched into days and days into weeks. Time flowed endlessly, but Sting had stopped. He was trapped in the moment where Lucy's eyes had closed and the screams had begun.

At first, it had been small whimpering then it had escalated to full-blown screams of agony. He had remained with her as much as possible, only leaving the room when she had to be changed from her sweat-drenched gowns. Her once pale skin had become grey and she had lost so much weight.

It hurt him to be by her side but be unable to do anything to ease her pain.

Natsu had also been there the whole time, only leaving to go on missions to pay Lucy's rent. Sting would have gone as well, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her again.

Lucy would make it; she was strong.

It had been the absence of tossing blankets, gritting teeth, and yells that had woken him up from his nap.

Lucy had stopped moving.

Panic surged through him and he called her, "Lucy?"

Just as he was going to scream for Wendy, who was currently sleeping, (the poor girl was constantly exhausted from healing Lucy and providing extra strength) her hand twitched and her eyelids fluttered.

And in the longest moment of Sting's life, her eyes met his and a spark lit up inside him, "Sting?"

_Gods,_ "I'm here."

There was a surge of electricity that coursed through his veins at the sounds of his name on her lips and a pounding of his heart as his ears noted the familiarity in her voice.

She remembered him.

"W-what -" she placed a hand on her forehead, "-My head."

She made it.

Lucy attempted to sit up, but hissed at the pain that rippled from the movement.

Sting stopped her, placing a hand in front of her, terrified of touching her, of shattering what still might be a dream, "Don't try to move yet. Your body is weak. Wait here; I'll get Wendy."

He made to move from her, "Wait!" Her hand shot out to clutch his sweater, "I- Don't go," she pleaded.

Sting's eyes followed her fisted hand up her arm to her face and swallowed as he met her eyes. They were no longer the cold, unmoving orbs of Filia. No, they were Lucy's eyes - warm and swimming with her emotions in plain sight. There was a faint shadow mixed in with the shade of brown and a flash of anger burned Sting's eyes. Whatever she had gone through down there, whatever she had done, it would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. If he had only listened to Gray - no, he had done the right thing by leaving her.

Her body wasn't nearly as strong as Filia's at the time. She would have died. She nearly died anyway, but still, he should have stayed close by instead of running away like a wounded dog.

He released a shaky breath through his clenched jaw. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't do; Lucy needed someone there.

"Okay," he nodded, and sat down on her bed. Had it really been a little over a year since he had laid in that very same bed with his arms around her waist?

They remained that way for an hour, neither saying a word. There was a underlying tension that neither was brave enough to address, but they found solace in their silent bubble of comfort.

* * *

Wendy had found them lying side by side with only their hands touching. Both of them, it seemed, were still frightened of touching one another, lest one disappear.

Sting was shoved out of the room immediately, and Wendy had begun to assess Lucy's condition.

Lucy had been quiet the entire time, unwilling to pursue any type of conversation and Wendy's heart hurt. She had been the last one to see her before she had fallen into the abyss.

She had stubbornly taken the position as Lucy's head healer, staying nearby for her and changing her gown whenever it was needed. Wendy had cried the first time she had; Lucy's body was riddled with faint scars and bruises - an echo of the past. Her heart hardened afterwards and she no longer pitied her. Lucy had been strong, so Wendy would be strong as well.

Still, there were two words she had to say, "...I'm sorry."

At those words Lucy started, turning to face Wendy with teary eyes, "Don't be," her voice cracked.

"I-I shouldn't ha-"

"How will this change anything that has happened? Wendy," Lucy grabbed her hand, clutching her fingers in a tightly, "it was not your fault. Don't blame yourself. I chose to let go. Now, you have to let go, too."

Wendy nodded; a big lump was stuck in her airway, making it difficult to breathe and swallow.

"What happened wasn't okay, but it's okay now. I'm here now." Lucy squeezed her hand and she knew the dam had broken.

* * *

Sting had returned to see a weeping Wendy and a solemn Lucy; he had backed out slowly and had wandered the streets. He bought a bag of fruit - specifically, yellow apples - and headed to the park. He passed by an alley only to stop and turn back into it.

He blended in so well, but Sting could sense his presence, "You're back."

Rogue's bright red eyes flashed briefly with warmth, but it quickly disappeared, "How is she?"

"Awake."

Rogue noted his friend's tensed shoulders, but there was a hint of relief in Sting's voice as he added, "The mark is gone."

"What are you going to do?"

Sting avoided his friend's eyes for a moment, "Nothing."

"Good."

"How are things..." Sting trailed off, unable to finish his question.

Rogue let out a sigh, feeling the burden on his shoulders for the first time in months, "Hectic, but ever since I've gotten Yukino and Minerva's help, it's been less stressful."

Sting placed a hand on Rogue's shoulder, squeezing it before releasing it and taking a step back, "I'm sorry."

_For placing everything on you,_ his blue eyes finished his apology and sullen red eyes pierced his right back,_ Just make sure you don't lose her this time._

Sting grinned and sent him a thumbs up, _Gotcha._

_You've always been such a handful_, Rogue teased, lightening the mood between them.

Sting snickered,_ I bet Yukino has fun with you._

As if it were possible, Rogue seemed to deadpan even more, _Shut up, Sting._

The laughter erupted from Sting before he could clamp his mouth shut, "Ha-ha," Rogue commented, his eye twitching.

Sting swallowed his laughter, and looked warily at the stoic face of the angry Dragonslayer in front of him. Rogue hardly ever showed emotion, but Sting had learned all his mannerisms years ago, and a twitching eye was never good - especially the right eye.

"Three seconds," Rogue muttered, "Three seconds."

"Fuck," Sting cursed and ran from the alley, making sure his bag of fruits was neatly tucked into his arm. Rogue followed closely behind, aiming bolts of magic at Sting.4

* * *

Wendy had fallen asleep in her arms, and Lucy had gently placed her beside herself. As she had struggled to move the young mage, she had finally understood just how much her body had suffered during her coma. She felt nauseous even though she hardly had had anything to eat; her body was not accustomed to eating solid food anymore, so they had fed her watery soup. Well, it had been Sting who had fed her.

_Sting_. His name reverberated in her mind, echoing of past memories and feelings. She felt a surge of affection for the confident blond mage as she remembered one of the few times they had spent together.

How had one date gone so very wrong? It probably could compete against Laxus and Mira's first ("experimental") date where a town had been destroyed and a mountain had crumbled.

_No_, Lucy sighed, _it's probably_ the_ gone most horribly wrong date in history_!

There were so many memories, so much heartache, Lucy could only sort them little by little or else she'd fall apart. She had begun to remember her life while at the...Colosseum. Colosseum.

_Jace_. Her heart lurched at the thought of him - his dark hair framing his dark, dark but warm eyes. His annoying habit of teasing her every chance he got. He'd respond to her complaints with the same phrase, "Our life is not ours," _we might die tomorrow._

Those words always hung over them like a dark cloud, and even though they chose to act as though they didn't care, they could sense it's ominous presence. Even now, she could feel its fingers curled around her.

_There was this part of Lucy - Filia she had called herself - and then there was -_

The door clicked open, and his blue eyes met hers, "Is she asleep?"

_-Him_. Lucy nodded, afraid of losing her self-control and crying in front of him. She needed to cry, but not yet.

"Good. She's always working so hard." Sting walked into Lucy's kitchen with the groceries, seeming perfectly at home.

"Where's Brandon?"

The rustling from the kitchen paused for a moment, Sting cleared his throat, "He's, uh, not here."

Lucy repeated her question, preparing for the worst, but remaining calm as Sting replied, "I talked to him earlier through a lacrima. He's on his way back. I think it'd be best if he tells you what he's been doing."

"Do you know when he'll be back," she inquired.

"A week - give or take."

"Okay."

The silence resumed between them until Lucy's stomach grumbled, and through her burning cheeks, she mumbled, "I think I might be hungry."

Sting's face remained stoic for a second before splitting into a wide grin, "And I think I might have food."

Lucy heard the amusement in his voice, and snapped, "It's not funny!" The embarrassment clinging heavily on her face in the form of a red cloak.

Sting released a breath. How long had it been... For a brief moment, it had felt as though everything had not happened. As though, if he had walked through the kitchen door into her bedroom, he would have seen Lucy sitting upright on the couch - cheeks flushed and nose wrinkled in embarrassment with a slight hint of amusement flashing in her brown flecked eyes. But it wasn't. It wouldn't. Not for some time. Lucy needed time.

He inhaled, and forced his tone to sound light as he responded, "Alright! Alright! Give me a minute!"

* * *

"Say 'Aah.'"

"No."

"Lucy, just say 'aah.'"

She clenched her jaw, setting her lips in a thin straight line, and shook her head.

"Why are you being so stubborn?!"

Lucy almost smirked at the frustrated blond sitting beside her, but refused to give him any chance to slip the spoonful of soup in her mouth.

"Lucy," he whined, dragging the last syllable of her name out as he gave her a pout.

With a sigh of defeat, Sting dropped the spoon into the bowl and set it on the night stand by her bed, "Fine."

Lucy flashed him a smirk, and grabbed the bowl herself, "I can do this myself."

"Dunno why I can't do it for you." Sting grumbled, scratching the back of his head.

He watched the trembling spoon make its way up into Lucy's mouth, "Because I need to know I can do this."

Sting opened his mouth to protest she didn't have to push herself, but he bit his lip. Instead, thinking better of it, he replied with, "I know you can."

Lucy's whole face lit up, "Thank you."

Sting grunted in return; maybe he had wanted to be a little selfish and indulge her, but seeing her the slightest bit happy was worth more than he could ever describe.

A male's voice rang out and the moment was shattered, "Hey, Filia."

Sting watched with trepidation and fascination as a torrent of emotions played on Lucy's face until she finally breathed out a shaky, "Brandon."

* * *

_Alright, alright. Don't kill me for being MIA or for this ending. It's not much of a cliffhanger...so I think it's okay. I know you're looking forward to all the fluffy/steamy Stinglu but there are certain things that have to be wrapped up first. We're getting there! Thank you all for your support and for reading! See you next time!_


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